The Surprising Link Between Monogamy And Getting Drunk

The key to monogamy is getting wasted?!

Now we've heard it all.

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According to Reason.com, a new study (funded by the American Association of Wine Economists, mind you) indicates that the more a society drinks, the more they practice monogamy as well. We would have assumed that a high alcohol intake would equate to looser sexual beings, but apparently if this research is to be believed, that isn’t the case. It’s just the opposite.

"Intriguingly, across the world the main social groups which practice polygyny do not consume alcohol," wrote the lead researchers. "We investigate whether there is a correlation between alcohol consumption and polygynous/monogamous arrangements, both over time and across cultures. Historically, we find a correlation between the shift from polygyny to monogamy and the growth of alcohol consumption. Cross-culturally we also find that monogamous societies consume more alcohol than polygynous societies in the preindustrial world."  The Secrets Behind Serial Monogamy

And to delve a little deeper into the study, "Women or Wine, Monogamy or Alcohol?," it isn’t just a glass a day that keeps the infidelity away. The relationship between that monogamous state of mind and intoxication indicates drunkenness in particular as being the key to commitment throughout history. Read for yourself:

"[The data] indicates a positive correlation between monogamy and alcohol consumption (and especially between monogamy and drunkenness) across societies." How Drinking Saved Our Marriage

OK, so we get it. A one-woman man likes a good drink. (Or several, in fact.) But why is that the case exactly?

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The study claims that monogamy was introduced way back in the days of ancient Greece and Rome, both of which were big drinking societies. When wine-making spread throughout the rest of Europe, so did monogamy. Simple enough, we suppose.

We’ll go with that explanation, but all we know is this: the next time a person tries to use alcohol as an excuse for cheating ways, we’re calling that culprit out with this information.