KEY POINTS:
Researchers in the United States have confirmed what many of us already know, that alcohol makes males more amorous and less sexually inhibited.
The research, led by Penn State University neuroscientist Dr Kyung-An Han and published in the journal PLoS ONE, looked at the effects of chronic alcohol exposure on fruit flies.
The fruit flies were given a daily dose of ethanol to closely mimic the drinking habits of alcoholics and chronic alcohol abusers.
The researchers also found that repeated exposure to ethanol caused male flies, which typically court females, to engage in more inter-male courtship, a phenomenon known as "behavioural sensitisation".
"If a behaviour like alcohol consumption becomes more pleasurable the more often you do it, you are more likely to keep doing it," Dr Han explained.
Middle-aged and old male flies were also found to have a higher propensity for uninhibited inter-male courtship compared to fully mature male flies.
She said the research into the physiological effects of alcohol was important for further research into the physiological effects of alcohol addiction.
"We are now just beginning to discover the ... mechanisms underlying neural changes in the brain that result from the chronic use of alcohol."
- AAP
