Most people have had a horror
experience with one particular type of alcohol, especially as a young
person - in many cases swearing off that particular demon drink for
ever.
Inspired by this aversion, psychologists at the University of California are experimenting with research that creates false, negative memories for drinkers, thereby reducing the amount they consume.
Using simple, but manipulative suggestive techniques, traumatic experiences of drinking that never occurred are literally created, which in turn produce memories that trigger unhappy, but ultimately helpful responses to alcohol.
In studies carried out, up to
20 percent of those exposed to the implanted experiences came to believe
they were true, leading those to reduce their consumption or at least
preference for drink.
Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology at the University of California, recruited 147 undergraduate psychology students to test her theory.
All the volunteers were informed that the experiment was focused on their personality and their preferences in food and drink.
Filing out a large questionnaire about their food and drink history before the age of 16, they were also asked to articulate a time when they 'Got sick after drinking too much vodka' or when they 'Felt sick to your stomach after drinking rum.'
They were also told to say how and where these mishaps had occurred.
One week later they were recalled to be given a personalized profile based on their answers - but some of the profiles returned told the participant that they had become sick from vodka or rum when they had not stated this originally.
The volunteers were then asked to elaborate on these experience that the research group told them they had.
If they said that they had no memory of this, they were asked to imagine in detail it might have been and then to discuss it.
Afterwards, the students were asked to fill out the original set of questions and were asked to talk about the false drinking experience unknowingly implanted and asked whether they thought this had actually happened.
Loftus discovered that 20 percent came to accept the created bad experience with alcohol as real, while the rest dismissed it as simply incorrect.
Those who took part in the study who had begun drinking at an earlier age were found to be more likely to accept and believe the false memories.
And crucially for the study, those who were implanted with the bad memory reduced the amount they drink by more than one point on an eight point scale.
'We do have a malleable memory,' says Loftus to Time Magazine.
'This malleability allows us to
correct errors when they spontaneously creep in, so that we can update
them with the truth. It also allows us to live with a little fiction
that might make us feel better about ourselves.'
The basis for Loftus' research stems from refuted research into 'repressed memory therapies' - which revealed that suggestive techniques used to recover memories of childhood abuse could also inadvertently implant them too.
'After decades of studying the creation of false memories, a few years ago we started to ask what are the repercussions,' said Loftus.
'If I plant a false memory in your mind, does it affect later thoughts, intentions or even behaviors?'
While the creation of false memories has moral implications, Loftus claims that the technique could be used to help children suffering obesity issues and of course alcoholics or drug addicts.
'One could envision [this type of] mind engineering that could steer you in the direction of living a healthier life,' said Loftus to Time Magazine.
'Which would you rather have: a kid with a little false memory or one with obesity, a shortened life span?
'To me, it’s a no brainer. I know how much fiction already resides in our memory system so I’m not so uncomfortable with a little bit more.'
Dr. Mark Willenbring, the
former director of treatment and recovery research at the National
Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse and founder of the Alltyr
treatment center, says Loftus’ study is 'interesting and well done.'
However, he says for now the best strategy to deal with excessive drinking are conscious talking and therapy.
Indeed, Loftus admits that while her implanted memories can also decrease drinking, a follow up study to be published suggests it is easier to increase drinking with false memories than lower it.
Instead of convincing people that they had gotten sick from white wine for example, they suggested that they loved white wine.
'The more positive [suggestion] worked and the less positive had a small effect, but it was not statistically significant,' said Loftus.
Inspired by this aversion, psychologists at the University of California are experimenting with research that creates false, negative memories for drinkers, thereby reducing the amount they consume.
Using simple, but manipulative suggestive techniques, traumatic experiences of drinking that never occurred are literally created, which in turn produce memories that trigger unhappy, but ultimately helpful responses to alcohol.
Psychological research has uncovered that
implanted suggested memories can cause people to have a negative
reaction to alcohol and thereby stop drinking as much
Elizabeth Loftus, professor of psychology at the University of California, recruited 147 undergraduate psychology students to test her theory.
All the volunteers were informed that the experiment was focused on their personality and their preferences in food and drink.
Filing out a large questionnaire about their food and drink history before the age of 16, they were also asked to articulate a time when they 'Got sick after drinking too much vodka' or when they 'Felt sick to your stomach after drinking rum.'
In studies carried out by the University of
California, up to 20 percent of those exposed to the implanted
experiences came to believe they were true, leading those to reduce
their consumption or at least preference for drink
One week later they were recalled to be given a personalized profile based on their answers - but some of the profiles returned told the participant that they had become sick from vodka or rum when they had not stated this originally.
The volunteers were then asked to elaborate on these experience that the research group told them they had.
If they said that they had no memory of this, they were asked to imagine in detail it might have been and then to discuss it.
Afterwards, the students were asked to fill out the original set of questions and were asked to talk about the false drinking experience unknowingly implanted and asked whether they thought this had actually happened.
Loftus discovered that 20 percent came to accept the created bad experience with alcohol as real, while the rest dismissed it as simply incorrect.
Those who took part in the study who had begun drinking at an earlier age were found to be more likely to accept and believe the false memories.
And crucially for the study, those who were implanted with the bad memory reduced the amount they drink by more than one point on an eight point scale.
'We do have a malleable memory,' says Loftus to Time Magazine.
The basis for Loftus' research stems from
refuted research into 'repressed memory therapies' - which revealed that
suggestive techniques used to recover memories of childhood abuse could
also inadvertently implant them too
The basis for Loftus' research stems from refuted research into 'repressed memory therapies' - which revealed that suggestive techniques used to recover memories of childhood abuse could also inadvertently implant them too.
'After decades of studying the creation of false memories, a few years ago we started to ask what are the repercussions,' said Loftus.
'If I plant a false memory in your mind, does it affect later thoughts, intentions or even behaviors?'
While the creation of false memories has moral implications, Loftus claims that the technique could be used to help children suffering obesity issues and of course alcoholics or drug addicts.
'One could envision [this type of] mind engineering that could steer you in the direction of living a healthier life,' said Loftus to Time Magazine.
'Which would you rather have: a kid with a little false memory or one with obesity, a shortened life span?
'To me, it’s a no brainer. I know how much fiction already resides in our memory system so I’m not so uncomfortable with a little bit more.'
While the creation of false memories has moral
implications, Loftus claims that the technique could be used to help
children suffering obesity issues and of course alcoholics or drug
addicts
However, he says for now the best strategy to deal with excessive drinking are conscious talking and therapy.
Indeed, Loftus admits that while her implanted memories can also decrease drinking, a follow up study to be published suggests it is easier to increase drinking with false memories than lower it.
Instead of convincing people that they had gotten sick from white wine for example, they suggested that they loved white wine.
'The more positive [suggestion] worked and the less positive had a small effect, but it was not statistically significant,' said Loftus.