Glamourised drinking in films is so persuasive it can encourage young people to consume more alcohol, according to new research.
Scientists looked at the way in which alcohol use is portrayed in movies and how it affects people’s enjoyment of the film.
They also examined whether watching glamorous movie stars knocking back booze can make viewers enjoy alcohol more.
The researchers showed 159 college students aged 18 to 30 eight different movie clips showing alcohol, either in a positive or negative context.
They then asked them questions about how involved they felt in the film, and how much they felt like a drink.
It was discovered that clips which showed alcohol in a positive way made them more likely to want a drink.
The study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, also revealed that alcohol product placement tends to be more subtle in films and as a result is more effective.
Professor Marloes Kleinjan, from Radboud University Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, said: ‘It is my understanding that alcohol portrayals are depicted in the majority of movies, 80 to 95 per cent, and that they are mostly framed or portrayed in a positive manner.
‘Exposure to alcohol portrayals in the media — including movies, but also advertisements and digital media such as Facebook — can encourage drinking in young people.
‘Since movie characters can be regarded as role models by young people, the manner in which these characters portray alcohol use in a movie might have an impact on the beliefs and attitudes toward alcohol use by youngsters themselves’ , Daily Mail informs.
