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‘I don’t feel your pain’: How alcohol increases aggression

Alcohol’s ability to increase people’s pain threshold is one reason that drinking also leads to more aggressive behavior, a new study suggests.

By Ohio State University

Published December 2, 2024

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Alcohol’s ability to increase people’s pain threshold is one reason that drinking also leads to more aggressive behavior, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that the less pain that study participants felt after drinking an alcoholic beverage, the more pain they were willing to inflict on someone else.

“We’ve all heard the idiom ‘I feel your pain,’” said study co-author and the National Center for Research Resources.

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Ohio State University

The Ohio State University’s main Columbus campus is one of America’s largest and most comprehensive. More than 55,000 students select from 14 colleges, 175 undergraduate majors, and 240 master’s, doctoral, and professional degree programs. As Ohio’s best and one of the nation’s top-20 public universities, Ohio State is further recognized by a top-rated academic medical center and a premier cancer hospital and research center. The university’s total research expenditures in 2009 topped $716 million, ranking Ohio State 13th nationally, second in industry research, and ninth among public universities, according to the National Science Foundation. The university’s innovative prowess attains world-class status, particularly in critical areas such as global climate change, cancer, infectious disease, advanced materials, and ag-bio products that feed and fuel the world. An additional 8,200 students attend Ohio State’s regional campuses in Lima, Mansfield, Marion, and Newark, and the Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. Founded as a federal land-grant institution in 1870, the university has awarded 622,368 degrees since 1878. Its legacy extends to more than 465,000 living alumni.

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