By Rebecca Fenton

It happens all the time: an attractive young woman sits down at a bar and lifts her mascara clad eyelashes as her eager eyes scan the crowd for a potential prospect, or at least someone to buy her a first drink.

By an unwritten law of human nature, her striking beauty is intimidating, and she is quickly cast off as being “out of his league.”

But a few drinks later, that same woman leaves the bar laughing with a partner some might consider less attractive than her linked to her arm.

A recent research study led by the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom investigating the effects of alcohol indicated that “beer goggles” are not just a metaphor used to justify someone’s behavior the morning after a night of impaired judgment, but may, in fact, be real.

The study found that students were not simply attracted to the opposite sex, but found the same sex more attractive as well.

“Alcohol does tend to loosen people up,” said Lindsey Hancock, a senior art major who said “standards are lowered” under the influence of alcohol.

“I have definitely been chatted up during a night of drinking and then the next morning I did not find them nearly as physically attractive,” she said.

For the experiment, the scientists gave 84 heterosexual college students drinks; some nonalcoholic and others containing enough alcohol to make them feel “tipsy.”

Fifteen minutes later, the students were given 40 photos of male and female college students to rate on levels of attractiveness. Students who consumed alcohol were more attracted to the photographed faces than those who did not.

“Alcohol lowers a person’s inhibitions, so they may feel more comfortable engaging in behaviors that they wouldn’t feel comfortable engaging in if they were sober,” said Felix Fernandez Pizzi, Northeastern’s alcohol and other drug counselor.

The study reveals an apparent change in human behavior that some students agree is specifically triggered by alcoholic consumption.

“You are more likely to be more aggressive in terms of being attracted to people,” said Adam Windram, a senior international affairs major. “You go to a bar and you will occasionally see people making out and wonder why they are doing that when they only met five minutes ago.”

The study’s findings also reveal the ratings of attractiveness, exclusive to male participants rating females, lasted up to 24 hours after initial alcoholic consumption.

Skeptical about the psychological existence of beer goggles, senior computer science major Tom Cody said he “thinks they are a good excuse.”

“I usually only go for ’10’s’, but under the influence I settle for ‘9.5’s’,” he said.

During the study, students under the influence of alcohol not only found other students more attractive, but also found them to be potential sexual partners. Students said they often observed this action in bars, where flirtatious behavior may flow as freely as the drinks.

“A ‘two’ at 10 p.m. is a ’10’ at 2:00 a.m.,” said Christina Simmarano, a senior psychology major recalling an experience pursuing a prospect while under the influence at Jake Ivory’s, a bar on Lansdowne Street.

“I had too much to drink and it seemed like a good idea at the time,” she said.

While the debate over the actual existence of beer goggles may not be conclusive with a few studies published on the topic, the effect of alcohol on human judgment is one some drinkers agree is real.

“The more you drink, the less you are able to rationally make decisions like you normally would,” said senior economics major John Negus. Beer goggles, he said, “are not any different than doing something stupid when you’re drunk.”