Alcohol is often seen as a social lubricant, but its effects on the brain can alter how we see and react to other people — and not in a good way.
While there are cheery drunks who tend to become more fun-loving and playful when they’ve had a few pints or a glass or two of wine, others become nastier and start looking for a fight when they start drinking. Here are a few of the reasons why alcohol can reduce empathy and increase aggression, and what that means for the way we socialise.
1. Alcohol messes with your emotional processing.
When you drink, alcohol affects your brain’s ability to process emotions properly. Specifically, it dulls down the activity in parts of your brain, like the amygdala, which helps us understand and react to emotions in other people. That means it’s easier to miss social cues or completely misread someone’s mood. Maybe someone’s upset, and you don’t pick up on it, or you think their tone is harsh when they’re just being straightforward. That kind of misreading can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts, making it harder to connect with people in a meaningful way.
2. It lowers your inhibitions.
This is the classic reason people might say something they regret after a few drinks. Alcohol lowers your inhibitions, which sounds great if you’re trying to relax, but it also means you might act impulsively. Without that filter, you might say something rude or jump into an argument without thinking. What you normally might have kept to yourself or handled with more tact comes out loud and fast, often causing tension when you didn’t intend for it to.
3. It reduces self-awareness.
Drinking can cloud your sense of self-awareness, making it hard to notice how your words or actions are affecting those around you. You might be unaware of how your tone comes across or the way you’re reacting to a situation. When alcohol dulls that self-awareness, you’re more likely to get defensive or dismissive, which can add fuel to a situation rather than calming things down. It makes it harder to realise when you’re actually in the wrong and need to back off.
4. Alcohol destroys your decision-making abilities.
One of the first things alcohol does is affect the prefrontal cortex — the area of the brain that helps you make decisions and think things through. That’s why, when you’ve had a drink (or two), your judgement can go out the window. What might seem like a minor disagreement turns into a heated argument because you’re no longer thinking clearly about the consequences. When alcohol makes it harder to think rationally, small things can easily blow up into something much bigger than they need to be.
5. It cranks up your emotions.
Alcohol doesn’t just numb you; it also exaggerates emotions. If you’re already feeling stressed, frustrated, or angry, drinking can make those emotions feel ten times stronger. Those minor irritations that usually roll off your back can suddenly feel huge, and it’s easy to react in ways that are far more intense than you’d usually consider. That emotional amplification can lead to overreacting, where the smallest things feel like big problems.
6. It affects memory and perception.
When you’ve been drinking, your ability to remember things clearly takes a hit. You might forget parts of a conversation, or your brain might misinterpret what someone said or did. That means when things get heated, you might not remember events accurately, which can lead to making assumptions or jumping to conclusions. That small misunderstanding becomes a bigger issue when alcohol distorts your memory, and it’s easy to see how it could turn a minor issue into a much larger conflict.
7. It makes you more impulsive.
One of the major reasons alcohol is linked to aggression is because it makes you act on impulse. Normally, you’d pause and think about how your actions or words might affect someone, but alcohol removes that “pause” button. Suddenly, that slight disagreement becomes a full-blown shouting match because you’re not thinking through your response. Impulsivity often leads to regret once the alcohol wears off, but in the moment, it feels like the only option.
8. It can fuel competitiveness.
While a little friendly competition can be fun, alcohol can make it escalate pretty quickly. What starts as light banter or a silly debate can soon turn into a full argument, as alcohol brings out the desire to “win” or prove a point. When you’re buzzed, you’re less likely to listen or compromise. Instead, you might dig your heels in and argue for the sake of it, even if it’s not that important. It can lead to unnecessary tension and hurt feelings, all thanks to a drink or two.
9. It disrupts empathy-related brain functions.
One of the more significant effects of alcohol is that it reduces activity in the brain areas linked to empathy. This makes it harder to truly understand where someone else is coming from, or to care about their feelings in the moment. Without empathy, it’s easier to dismiss people’s needs, fail to notice when someone’s upset, or act in ways that come off as self-centred. This lack of empathy can make social interactions feel cold or distant, and it can lead to conflicts that might not have happened if you were more in tune with everyone around you.
10. It gives you a false sense of confidence.
Ever noticed how alcohol tends to make people feel bolder or more self-assured? That’s because it often boosts your confidence, but in a way that can make you come across as arrogant or dismissive. With that false sense of confidence, you might brush off other people’s opinions or respond in a way that feels confrontational. Real confidence is balanced with humility, but when alcohol’s in the mix, that balance is often lost, making everything feel more tense and harder to navigate.
11. It can bring out hidden resentment.
If you’re already harbouring negative feelings towards someone, alcohol can easily bring those emotions to the surface. It lowers the barriers that normally keep your frustrations in check, making it more likely that you’ll lash out. You might find yourself arguing over something small, but the real issue is that alcohol has removed the filters, letting deeper, unresolved feelings spill out. It’s not the alcohol causing the problem — it’s just letting things come out that were already there.
12. It makes de-escalation harder.
Normally, if a conversation is heading in the wrong direction, you might recognise it and step back to calm things down. But under the influence of alcohol, that instinct to de-escalate goes out the window. Instead of defusing tension, alcohol can make you ramp it up — raising your voice, refusing to back down, or getting defensive. Not having the ability to back off can turn a small disagreement into something much worse.
13. It messes with your serotonin levels.
Alcohol messes with serotonin, the chemical in your brain that helps regulate your mood. When alcohol lowers serotonin levels, it can lead to irritability and even aggression. So, if you’re already a little stressed or moody before you drink, alcohol can make those feelings worse. The imbalance in serotonin can cause reactions that are much more emotional than you’d normally experience, turning a manageable situation into a bigger problem.
