Beer
New research says the shape of a glass may affect the speed at which an individual drinks. Reuters

How much a person drinks may depend on the shape of the glass they use, a new study suggests. For example, the research says that people tend to drink more speedily from a glass with curved sides than from one with straight sides.

In addition, researchers from the Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group at the University of Bristol in Britain claimed that if the glass has measurement markings, then the person tends to drink more slowly. The study, conducted by researchers Angela Attwood and David Troy, was funded by Alcohol Research UK.

The researchers conducted the study on 80 men and 80 women who had no history of alcohol-related problems. The 160 people were then divided into two groups, with the first asked to drink beer from a curved glass with markings highlighting each quarter. The second group was asked to drink beer from a curved glass with no markings.

The team then analyzed the speed at which both groups consumed the beer. They found that people who were given marked glasses, on an average, finished the beer in 10.3 minutes. On the other hand, people with unmarked glasses consumed the same amount of beer in 9.1 minutes.

"Our research suggests that small changes such as glass shape and volume markings can help individuals make more accurate judgments of the volume they are drinking and hopefully drinkers will use this information to drink at a slower pace," Attwood said, as Science Times reported.

Based on the study findings, the researchers then decided to expand their research to see the real-time results. The team asked three pubs to keep a record of their beer sales over four consecutive weekends and the type of glasses used to serve the beer. The pub record claimed that the beer sales dropped when customers were served beer in glasses with straight sides, indicating less beer consumption.

The duo presented the research findings at the annual conference of the British Psychological Society in Liverpool, England.

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