A new study has found that if you’re a total dick when you’re drunk it actually might not be your fault.
In fact, according to the Finnish research, the reason for being totally rude and out-of-control when you’ve had one too many could all be down to your genes.
Reported in the New York Post, researchers interviewed 156 people on their personality traits and alcohol history, and found that those who carried a certain genetic mutation—called HTR2B Q20—were more likely to have aggressive outbursts, get into fights, and act rashly while drinking.
The researchers found that HTR2B Q20 carriers have fewer of the brain receptors that play a role in controlling impulsive behaviour, making them more likely to come on to their mate’s girlfriend or pick a fight with a guy twice their size after they’ve got a few beers in them.
However author of the study, Dr Roope Tikkanen, M.D., Ph.D. also highlights that HTR2B Q20 is only thought to affect about 2 percent of the population, and it seems to be pretty exclusive to people of Finnish descent. So what’s the excuse for everyone else?
Even though they don’t necessarily have that particular gene mutation, they might just be more prone to impulsive behaviour or they may have another genetic mutation that hasn’t been discovered yet. Alternatively they could just be aggy dickheads.
So there you go, it might not be your fault that you ripped a door off its hinges when you were hammered, but it probably is to be honest. Chill out mate, have a shandy.
