
Researchers gave 218 college students hypothetical first-date scenarios.
Simply having alcóhol available increased participants' expectations that sexual activity might occur.
Alcóhol also had more complicated effects on what people expected regarding intimate communication.
Another study of people's actual recent first dates similarly found alcóhol consumption was strongly related to sexual expectations and involvement.
That doesn't mean drinking creates genuine romantic compatibility.
It means the context of the date itself can change what people expect the evening to become.
Two otherwise identical dates may therefore be interpreted differently depending on whether alcóhol is part of the setting.
© Communication Research (2004); Personal Relationships (1995)