Why when we want to relax at the end of the day does our head think of a glass of wine or a beer? The Drunken essay by Edward Slingerland, a sinologist, philosopher, and Columbia University professor, focuses on the role alcohol has played in the survival of human civilization. The author does not believe that the tendency to consume this substance can be considered an "evolutionary error".
Author of various studies on psychology, cognitive science or religions, Slingerland – who responds to this newspaper by videoconference – explains that “the function that alcohol has had is similar to that of religious traditions and facilitates social cohesion. This substance is known to have a terrible impact on a physiological level and in a medical sense its consumption is not recommended. However, we continue to drink.
The theme is also related to that of his first book, “where I focused on the Chinese ideal of existing without effort and entering a state where you lose consciousness of yourself. The problem is that when you think you want to relax, it's impossible, the opposite happens. Early Chinese thinkers developed different strategies to overcome this paradox, such as meditation. Alcohol is also a very effective resource to overcome barriers and reach relaxation and spontaneity. My hypothesis is that alcohol is a cultural technology to overcome this social problem, so that people overcome the paradox of 'trying not to try anything'”.
It is not just about the historical account. “I think that alcohol still has some social function to fulfill. The clearest examples are overcoming problems of creativity, cooperation or social discomfort when we start to get to know someone”.
The rise of teetotalers is explained “by the medical vision, since, according to a 2018 study in the British Medical Journal, the only healthy consumption of alcohol is zero. Another more recent report, with a slightly more flexible vision, says that alcohol cannot be drunk in a healthy way until the age of 40 and, after quarantine, in small doses.
The culture of each country marks notable differences, since “in the Anglo-Saxon world, people show themselves to be virtuous or morally superior if they give up certain pleasures. This moral arrogance has played an important role in dealing with other peoples and cultures throughout history, because it enhances our ability to impress others. Our genes don't care if we have fun... but we do! We should be more permissive with what gives us pleasure”.
The relationship of alcohol with violent behavior has also been proven, since “it inhibits our conscious self-control and then the most impulsive actions arise that we can normally repress through social discipline. But the real problem is not alcohol consumption, but why someone is violent or assaults another person. We also don't pay enough attention to the methods we have to drink safely. For example, doing it in a group and limiting consumption to one meal, not drinking just to drink. Furthermore, there are cultures in which being publicly drunk is highly frowned upon and is synonymous with not knowing how to drink. This happens above all in Italy, which, paradoxically, has the highest ratio of alcohol consumption per capita and, at the same time, the lowest rate of alcoholism in Europe. This shows that southern European cultures are healthier and that alcohol consumption is compatible with good social behavior. The drink is very addictive and dangerous, but there are mechanisms to drink in a way that allows you to benefit from the inhibition without being carried away by the endemic violence, part of humanity.
