In my attempt to write scientific articles relevant to college students, the first thing that came to mind was to write about how alcohol and other drugs affect our minds and bodies. However, when I actually sat down to write, I realized it was very hard to write an article without sounding preachy. I kept writing things about all of the research showing negative effects of alcohol on memory, learning, etc. Essentially, I sounded like parents telling their kids that alcohol will kill them if they drink it, or all of those “Above the Influence” commercials saying that doing drugs will rot your brain.

I don’t really believe any of that propaganda, and as a (relatively) normal Oberlin student, I enjoy a well-shaken martini or even a nice can of PBR, the staple of our fantastic party scene. Despite all attempts to avoid it, this article may seem like a PSA warning against the dangers of underage drinking, and I want to assure you that this is not at all my intention. I would just like to convey some interesting scientific information about how we as an age group respond to alcohol.

This semester, we are very fortunate to have Dr. Scott Swartzwelder visiting us and teaching a class on alcohol in the brain through the Neuroscience department. Dr. Swartzwelder is a researcher at Duke University, where he runs a lab researching the effects of alcohol on the developing brain. So when I had the idea for this article, I thought it would be great to get his perspective on these topics. “The most important thing for people to know about alcohol is that it affects the young brain very differently from the adult brain,” he said.

Now, let me explain that statement a little bit. Alcohol is a small molecule that has numerous, dose-dependent effects on the brain. At low doses, it decreases inhibition, reduces anxiety and makes people generally more social. At higher doses, it can impair memory and cognitive functions and also activate inhibitory signals in the brain that make you sleepy, want to stop drinking and go to bed. In younger people, the threshold for getting sleepy is much higher than in older people, while sensitivity to memory and cognitive impairment is much lower.

So if I have five drinks, I’ll be much more likely to want to drink more, act like more of an idiot and not get tired and stop drinking, whereas the opposite would be true for my dad. I don’t necessarily think this means you should change your drinking habits, but it could account for why young people like to drink a lot more than older people.

Dr. Swartzwelder also said that, “One of the great things about alcohol for college students, especially in very low doses, is its ability to facilitate social interactions that are so important for people in that age group.” If you have one or two drinks, this can inhibit the so-called “executive functions” of the prefrontal cortex, a large region of the brain located roughly behind the eyes. These executive functions are analogous to the CEO of a company — integrating and controlling input from various processes involving many things, including how we interact with other people.

When the prefrontal cortex is inhibited, this leads to a disinhibition of the brain areas involved in social restraint and anxiety, and makes it much easier for people to talk and communicate freely. It’s only when you exceed the one– or two–drink threshold that decision-making, coordination and all the other things that go along with alcohol use become impaired.

Also related to social disinhibition is the so called “expectancy effect,” which is analogous to the placebo effect. Expectancy means that you will experience certain effects from alcohol simply because you think you are drinking it. It doesn’t matter if you are actually drinking or not. This is especially true of the subjective effects that come with small alcohol doses, like feeling happier or being more outgoing. According to Dr. Swartzwelder, “There is very little research examining the expectancy effect and differences between age groups, but it seems likely that younger people who are more susceptible to social pressure and less experienced with alcohol would be more susceptible to this effect.”

It seems to make sense that someone without very much experience with alcohol, will have all sorts of expectations based on what friends and family have told them, but I think it also follows that as you gain more experience with alcohol, you will develop certain perceptions of how small amounts of alcohol affect you that become reinforced with more drinking.

That said, expectancy pretty much only occurs at low doses. If you have 10 drinks, the alcohol will severely inhibit certain brain functions whether or not you expect it to.

These are just a few interesting ideas to think about next time you’re at Splitchers or happy hour at the Feve. Next time you’re curious about what a drug does to your body, don’t rely on your friends or parents. Just ask a scientist.