Regular readers will no doubt be aware that I’m a big fan of Gawker media sites. Gizmodo rocking my top spot. Whoever the geniuses are behind the content management system over there, they’re brilliant. Gizmodo frequently toes the line between tech-talk and booze and boobs. Both of the latter categories frequently require scientific examination from my perspective. So, I guess they do have some kind of rational basis for these kinds of posts.
Witness their latest, greatest biblical feat as it relates to a alcohol consumption – a seemingly preoccupation on Giz’s writers minds (I wonder why).
Well duh!
“Once the barrier is breached, alcohol settles into the outermost layer of our brain, the cerebral cortex. This thin layer of cells (also known as gray matter) covers the cerebrum and cerebellum and is responsible for processing sensory information and thoughts, and for initiating the majority of our voluntary muscle movements. Alcohol disrupts the normal flow of neurotransmitters across the cortex’s synaptic connections, and we enter an altered state. The first thing to go is our inhibitions, which the booze-free cortex would typically keep in check. We become more talkative and assured, and our better judgment begins to slip away.”
The article is a brilliant mathematical explanation of exactly why many folks start PMS’ing when getting shit-faced. Yours truly, though having been severely intoxicated more times than I can count, has fortunately never had a “douche moment.” I’ve never lost my keys, wallet, cell phone or my sense of direction. Never have I slept with an obese woman (well, that’s not entirely true but alcohol had little to do with it – another story). I don’t become belligerent engage in bravado one-upmanship and fights (e.g., “why are you looking at my girl?”), or display much more stupidity than I normally do. Drinking only exacerbates an already existing problem. If you’re a loudmouth, obnoxious, overly-sensitive, reckless, cheap butt-grabber with bad breath, well… you’re going to be much more so when wasted.
Click through for the entire article…
