Here’s the Booze That Makes Men Most Emotional
We’ve all had a good alcohol-induced cry or two. Maybe you’ve lamented the end of a long-running relationship while nursing a few stiff glasses of bourbon, or draped your arms around a buddy with a beer in hand while singing along to a band you both loved in high school. (Not me, no sir.) Whatever your stimulus, booze can bring out the feels—blame alcohol’s depressive effects on your brain’s emotion-regulating center—but what kind of hooch brings out all the feels?
In a new survey commissioned by Alcoholic.org, the results of which are exclusively shared here, more than 1,000 Americans revealed the types of alcohol that were most likely to lead to different moods. Men voted vodka as the boozy beverage that made them saddest, followed by gin and whiskey. Meanwhile, women blamed wine for their blues, but it should be noted that the female subjects also credited wine for making them feel most creative and nostalgic. (Ditto for guys.)
Elsewhere, men said wine made them happiest (followed by cocktails and just “IPA”); shots left them feeling overwhelmed (well, yeah); gin brought on the most feelings of disgust (with “light beer” ranking far too low in third place); and tequila, naturally, scared the bejeezus out of everyone who participated. Women also rated tequila as the scariest spirit, although maybe they just haven’t enjoyed the right kind yet.
The survey provides other fascinating breakdowns, such as the region in the country that feels the saddest when they drink—the West South Central (24.2 percent), suggesting that maybe Texans are just dealing with some heavy shit right now—and the area that feels the least anxious while under the influence: That would be the East South Central (6.8 percent), which means Alabamians probably throw some chill backyard parties. Check out the full survey here.
