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Entertainment Science

Glass Shapes Can Make Us Drink Too Much 348

Posted by Zonk from the i-only-drink-from-steins dept.
Roland Piquepaille writes "Some people think that a glass is half empty while others see it as half full. But one thing is sure: some glasses are fuller than others. According to the British Medical Journal (BMJ), researchers from Cornell University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have shown that short glasses are more likely to lead to over-indulgence. In fact, people pour 20-30 percent more alcohol into short, wide glasses than into tall, narrow ones of the same volume. The researchers obtained similar results with students and professional bartenders. So, as New Year's Eve is coming, remember to use only tall glasses for your party!!!"
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Glass Shapes Can Make Us Drink Too Much More

Glass Shapes Can Make Us Drink Too Much

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  • Warning (Score:3, Interesting)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) * on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:33PM (#14348598) Homepage Journal

    WARNING: The Bartender General has determined that beverage container appearances may be deceiving. It is recommended you use this to your maximum advantage with regard to the opposite sex.
    Seriously, some putz at the local pub insisted the Pint glasses there were only 14 fluid ounces. Having a few of same at home I whipped out my trusty graduated cylinder and measured the volume with great precision. The result was close to 16.5 fluid ounces. I keep waiting for an opportunity to make a $100 bet, but keep leaving the scienterrific equipment home.

    Wall thickness of glass containers can certainly be deceptive. For pint glasses it's usually about 3mm for the sides and as much as 1cm for the base. Notice how tiny a 16.9 oz. (500mL) water plastic bottle looks compared to a 12 oz. (355mL) bottle. Shape may account for some, but wall thickness is actually a considerable amount of volume within outer perimeter.

    In any event I'll be keeping it safe and sane this New Year's Eve by only drinking very expensive champagne. As soon as the money runs out I'll be on water, which should be about 1 hour and 3 hours before midnight.

    • Re:Warning (Score:3, Funny)

      by Chmcginn ( 201645 )
      keep leaving the scienterrific equipment home.

      Is that like really, really fun science? You know, that kinda looks like a Calvin & Hobbes word. You didn't just get the boxed set for Christmas, did you?

    • Re:Warning (Score:5, Funny)

      by Krach42 ( 227798 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @07:35PM (#14348977) Homepage Journal
      which should be about 1 hour and 3 hours before midnight.

      I think you need to lay off the alcohol already...
    • Great Idea...You made me think of selling graduated cylinders that are false to begin with. You can go into a bar and win all bets...cheating anyways.
    • Seriously, some putz at the local pub insisted the Pint glasses there were only 14 fluid ounces. Having a few of same at home I whipped out my trusty graduated cylinder and measured the volume with great precision. The result was close to 16.5 fluid ounces. I keep waiting for an opportunity to make a $100 bet

      Hey will you take the same bet if there is some "putz" who insists the pint glass is 20 fl. oz? You don't mind visiting Canada or the UK do you?

  • It all depends! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MikeFM ( 12491 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:33PM (#14348601) Homepage Journal
    Use short glasses when someone else is buying the liquor, tall when you are.

  • Huh? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Animus Howard ( 643891 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:34PM (#14348605)
    Shouldn't that be "use only short glasses"? It's New Year's Eve, after all.

  • Why the hell... (Score:5, Funny)

    by psykocrime ( 61037 ) <mindcrime@cpphac ... co.uk minus city> on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:34PM (#14348611) Homepage Journal
    Do you mean by "drink too much??"

    • Re:Why the hell... (Score:5, Funny)

      by drinkypoo ( 153816 ) <drink@hyperlogos.org> on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:46PM (#14348700) Homepage Journal
      I believe you know you've had too much to drink when you can no longer distinguish the difference between the words "Why" and "What".
    • Do you mean by "drink too much??"

      If it's beer you're talking about, then one standard pint glass [wikipedia.org] represents a good time, two pints represents a really good time, and three is a party. Anything over three is usual subject to local laws and can get you in trouble with the missus, the neighbours, or otherwise prevent you from finding your way home and, thus can be considered too much.

      American beer, for similar reasons, is best served in small glasses, and chilled to the extreme to kill the taste.
      • American beer, for similar reasons, is best served in small glasses, and chilled to the extreme to kill the taste.

        It has taste? I started drinking only European beer and stuff from microbreweries because most American beer has no taste. There is a reason they say American beer is like making love in a canoe.

      • Re:Why the hell... (Score:4, Insightful)

        by EnronHaliburton2004 ( 815366 ) * on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @11:53PM (#14350098) Homepage Journal
        American beer, for similar reasons, is best served in small glasses, and chilled to the extreme to kill the taste.

        Bah, you haven't been to the US in quite a while or take it. Either that or you come to the US and drink Budweiser, Coors or some other crap. Don't DO that!

        Many of our locally crafted beers are quite tasty, but are never shipped to Europe. I'm a big fan of the amber beers from the American West Coast (Mostly around Seattle, Portland and San Francisco)-- it's hard to get anything like that in Western Europe or the UK, although I've had some small batches of great amber brews in the Czech Republic and Austria.

        And I'll admit that I've never been to Belgium.

  • Excellent advice (Score:5, Funny)

    by nizo ( 81281 ) * on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:34PM (#14348612) Homepage Journal
    I have found that after switching to this glass [greatbigstuff.com] not only do I typically only fill it half full, I rarely even finish it all.
    • > I have found that after switching to this glass [greatbigstuff.com] not only do I typically only fill it half full, I rarely even finish it all.

      I have found that after switching from 12-oz bottles (in which you cannot even find this BOFHiest of brews), to 22oz/750mL bottles (in which you can), to 3L bottles [arrogantbastard.com], even though I only typicallly fill glass your half full, I feel much better even if I rarely finish it all even.

      They say beer, it makes you dumb,
      It are go good with Slashdot.
      Now that I have drunk some beer,
      I w

    • Try this one.... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by imsabbel ( 611519 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @07:45PM (#14349032)

      http://www.kleinbottle.com/ [kleinbottle.com]

      There it could be a bit problematic to say weather its half full or empty, topologically :)

  • Glass shapes? (Score:5, Funny)

    by andreMA ( 643885 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:34PM (#14348613)
    Silly me. I thought it was the alcoholism.

    • Yeah, who knew? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by CarpetShark ( 865376 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @08:06PM (#14349170)
      Yep. Personally, I drink too fast, even with tea. With alcohol, in a bar, it's worse, because I get bored in bars and don't really get into the conversations others are having. Let's face it: bars aren't exactly the most stimulating environment for guys who like science and technology and sci-fi. OK, theres an oldish fantasy element to some bars, but that fades fast :) Basically, it's about self-control, and social periphery. If you don't want to get drunk, and you drink to fast, then try orange juice.
  • Most Americans are dehydrated most of the time. Few of us drink the 64 ounces of liquid we're supposed to. Can we use this effect to our advantage as well as our disadvantage?

  • At the bottom (Score:5, Insightful)

    by quokkapox ( 847798 ) <quokkapox@gmail.com> on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:36PM (#14348629)
    The shape of the glass is irrelevant.

    You'll never find the answer at the bottom.

  • My observation (Score:5, Funny)

    by mister_llah ( 891540 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:37PM (#14348634) Homepage Journal
    People who drink out of bottle shaped glasses tend to drink more than even those who use short glasses!

  • I, for one, am not surprised by this. It's hard to judge small volumes in a wide based container, especially by eye. It's nowhere near as hard on a tall thin container.

    I wonder what would happen, though, if they took it to the extreme and had a very tall and thin container. My guess would be that you would again find over indulgence simply because the container dimentions are outside what people are used to.

    Where can I sign up for the study?

    • I think a better way to put this would be: We tend to underestimate what the width and especially the 'invisible' depth of a glass will factor the volume at a particular height.
      • I think it's more likely that the height of the liquid (regardless of width) affects how much we think is in the glass. Once a tall thin glass is 3/4 full we think "Wow that's a lot of drink" and wouldn't fill it right up to the top. But a short fat glass is still a short glass and would probably end up being filled to nearly the brim.

        • But we're not so stupid that to think that a short fat glass, and a long tall one, with the same 'height' liquids has the same amount of liquid in it. We simply underestimate the increase in volume that the extra width, and depth, causes.

    • Re:Not surprising (Score:3, Insightful)

      by blair1q ( 305137 )
      About 15 years ago bars started selling novelty shots in test tubes.

      I have no idea whether it makes a difference, because once people start ordering shots, the party's only started.

  • Further Study (Score:5, Informative)

    by gbulmash ( 688770 ) * <semi_famousNO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:38PM (#14348638) Homepage Journal
    They reported this on NPR last night ("All Things Considered") and tested two Washington DC bartenders who turned out to be pretty accurate. One was spot on, the other went against the study and actually filled the tall glass a smidge more.

    The real trick to this is the "four pour". With a certain standardized spout that they attach to bottles in most bars, you start pouring, count to four, and you're pretty close to the 1.5 ounce mark. This is what's taught in most bartending schools, and if the bartenders stick with it instead of trying to eyball the amount, they get it right much more often.

    - Greg

    • The count varies. My girlfriend is a bartender and has a three count. Another girl at her bar is unfortunate enough to have a 3.5 count. Part of their training is using a vodka bottle filled with water, pouring (with a pourer attached) into a beer glass, and then pouring the beer glass's contents into a shot glass to see how they did. They do this every once in a while when they aren't busy to make sure they are pouring accurately.

      This is necessary because of mixed drinks and such. It would be a waste of

    • Re:Further Study (Score:5, Insightful)

      by soliptic ( 665417 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @09:08PM (#14349481) Journal
      The real trick to this is the "four pour". With a certain standardized spout that they attach to bottles in most bars, you start pouring, count to four, and you're pretty close to the 1.5 ounce mark

      I'm confused.

      Don't you have "optics" in the USA?

      Over here, the amount of alcohol you get isn't at the whim of the bartender. Spirit bottles are hung with optics which are of a standardised size (usually 35ml, IIRC, but it can vary -- regardless, the volume used in a particular establishment must be clearly advertised on a notice somewhere near the bar). The barman/barmaid simply pushes the glass against the optic; it discharges until it's empty; they remove the glass, now containing a standard measure; the optic refills ready for the next shot.

      Relying on the bar staff to count to four sounds absolutely ridiculous to me. How fast do you count? If I'm paying a given, standard amount of money for a shot, I want to know I'm getting my money's worth, not a smaller volume! Of course, this means you can't get a larger volume, too, but hey...

  • Georgia Tech (Score:5, Funny)

    by metlin ( 258108 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:39PM (#14348652) Journal

    Heh, given the lack of women here at Georiga Tech, it is no wonder that the only possible research is in analyzing alchohol and alchohol glasses.

    The only other possible research alternative would have been to analyze network cable lengths, but then you get into cliched-joke territory.

    Funny anecdote - a graduate student here asked a prof for a good hangout, and he recommended a place right across our research lab. Dude took his girlfriend there, only to realize that it's a strip club. Hilarity ensued. And of course, the same prof usually offered free beer and pizza if you came to his saturday meetings.

    Now you know why they do research into alchohol glasses here at Tech.
    • In a similar vein, it should not be surprising that the students participating in the study were gathered from the University of Illinois [theboozenews.com], where (to quote a columnist from the Daily Illini) weekends start on Thursday and St. Patrick's Day is celebrated between two and four times per year.

      ObDisclaimer: most of those shenanigans are on the other side of campus from the engineering dorm....
    • Funny anecdote - a graduate student here asked a prof for a good hangout, and he recommended a place right across our research lab. Dude took his girlfriend there, only to realize that it's a strip club. Hilarity ensued.

      Was the Prof's name Richard Feynman? [crunchygods.com]

  • After extenshive testing... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:39PM (#14348655)
    After extenshive testing I haff determined that the shshshort glasshes are the besht for extenshive testing porpuses.
    Now where the hell did I put my pants?

    Faversham, Mr. Domo.

  • Another explanation (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Ruff_ilb ( 769396 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:41PM (#14348666) Homepage
    Although I don't think this is quite what the article is talking about, shorter glasses (think shot glasses) tend to be used for high alc. content drinks. OTOH, taller glasses tend to be used for beer, etc. Perhaps there's a relationship, too, between drinking too much and the type of booze, which could act as a lurking variable in the overall scheme of glasstype/drinking quantity correllation.
  • I only use tetrahedral glasses when I drink alcohol. Where are the research results on those, huh?

  • hmm (Score:2, Funny)

    by Is0m0rph ( 819726 )
    So where do beer bongs fit into this study?
    • Estimating volume is hard, estimating flow through a transluscent tube is pretty much impossible. It's just easier to count how long it lasts, and make sure they aren't putting any back pressure to make it last longer while consuming less.
  • could it be that people put less into the glass because they worry about how stable the glass is going to be?

    i notice that when i have to deal with one of those tall, thin glasses i worry about how stable it will be. but those shorter, fatter ones (whiskey style i guess) i dont care as the weight will be very close to the table anyways.
  • it should read "Ass Shapes Can Make Us Drink Too Much"
  • i drink straight from the bottle/can. at least for new year's anyway. maybe they should make taller bottles?
  • glasses are so last week. Drinking Horns [jelldragon.com] is where it's at! once you fill 'em, you can't put them down.

  • And some glass shapes (Score:5, Interesting)

    by 3waygeek ( 58990 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @06:55PM (#14348765)
    keep us from drinking anything at all [kleinbottle.com].
  • You have to WANT to drink [too much].

    One think is for damn sure, drinking makes some people want to drink more.

  • Slashdot is descovering what women have known for years: thickness is more important than length.

  • Martini glasses (Score:5, Funny)

    by pthisis ( 27352 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @07:11PM (#14348856) Homepage Journal
    One of my friends has taken to ordering Jack Daniels, chilled, in a martini glass. Most bars charge you for one shot but pour at least two--even bartenders who can pour a good 4-count will pour it, take a look, think it looks empty, and double it.

  • Glass half full? (Score:4, Funny)

    by strstrep ( 879828 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @07:11PM (#14348857)
    Some people say the glass is half full, others say the glass is half empty, but engineers say that the glass has a factor of safety of 2.
  • Short wide glasses are easier to wash than tall, narrow glasses. Tall, narrow glasses are also easier to knock over.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Interesting but not too surprising (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Hellasboy ( 120979 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @07:24PM (#14348927)
    I don't remember where I heard this from; textbook, professor, teacher.

    But a neat thing you can do is have two equal volumes of water in two different types of glasses and present it to a pre-preschool, preschool, or kindergarten aged child (memory is a little hazy on the age). Fill one short wide glass and one tall narrow glass with equal volumes of water in front of the child and the child will tell you that the taller, narrower glass has more water than the short, fat glass. Yes, they will tell you that it is fuller even though they see the same amount of water go into each glass.

    I can't exactly recall which part of the brain develops during this age (24-40 months) at the moment, but it's a neat thing to see (if you're a science geek).

    As how this might relate to the topic... maybe this doesn't fully develop (or develop as much) in some people because of diet, genetics, or a combination of both?

    • Re:Interesting but not too surprising (Score:5, Informative)

      by jpmkm ( 160526 ) on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @08:41PM (#14349356) Homepage
      We spent a few days talking about this in my cognitive psych class last semester. It's called conservation, and Piaget did quite a few experiments very similar to what you described when he was working out his stages of development. The preoperational(~3-7 years old) stage is when children have difficulty realizing that the volume of liquid is actually the same. Concrete operational(~7-11 years old) is when children start developing the skills for thinking logically about stuff(such as the conservation of liquid), and can realize that the volume of liquid is indeed the same. It's really a bit odd at first to see a group of children at one age say that one glass has more water than the other, and another group of children a year or two older realize they have the same amount.

      Damn. I never thought I would use anything from that class.
  • Remember that shotglasses are here to simplify this for you! Generally they are standard 1-1/2 or 2 oz size, and/or have a mark. Plus you get the pure alcohol enjoyment without any icky mixers....

    For you that like the mixers, you can still use a shot glass to get a consistent pour - just fill the shot glass with your liquor, dump the contents into your highball glass, and then top off with your mixer of choice. Shops that sell bar supplies generally will have a metal doohickey with a 1-1/2 oz metal cup on

  • "So, as New Year's Eve is coming, remember to use only tall glasses for your party!!!"
    I don't know what kind of parties you're going to on New Years, but if this research is correct then I prefer the short/wide glasses for my New Years party! :)
  • In one respect, they're short and wide - the drinking portion - but on the other hand the stems can be quite tall, making the glass tall and slender overall.

    Where do these glasses fall?

  • I don't know where these guys picked their test subjects, but if they were pouring by eye, they were flat out poorly trained. One of the reasons most bars have pourers on the bottles is so you can consistently pour by count. In most places I worked, we poured a shot and a half, which was a six count. AFAIK, the shape of a glass doesn't change the nature of time. (Although enough of its contents sure will...)

    In fact, one of the tests we used to give people before they could go behind the bar was to pour 20

  • This reminds me (Score:2, Interesting)

    by MrP-(at work) ( 839979 )
    This reminds me of an ice cream shop I went to once years ago when I was a child. I ordered a small ice cream sundae and my dad ordered a large. It was about a 2-3 dollar difference. When the dishes were empty, for some reason I filled my sundae dish with water to the top, then I poured it from my dish into my fathers large dish and it went right to the top. Both small and large held the same amount. It's just the large had really thick glass and the small had thinner glass, what a ripoff.

    Anyway, "So, as Ne
  • They already made roofies illegal. What will I do if they make short, wide glasses illegal too?
  • when I've conducted my own tests... now where's those highball glasses and whisky tumblers... now where's that whiskey...
  • Personally, I see the glass being twice as big as it should be.
  • I don't about bartenders and how they pour but any wine drinker can tell you that a wider glass will make a good drink more pleasurable because you can smell it better. Wouldn't be surprising if that led to more comsumption.

  • Even now a cabal of grossly underpaid lawyers -- Forced to live with only two houses and no private aircraft! -- are researching the class action litigation against the makers of short-wide shot glasses. These alco-terrorists will learn what it means to force Georgians to drink too much!!!

    (Keep your bar receipts so you can qualify for one of the $1.07 settlement checks in about five years time.)

  • Um, actually... (Score:3, Funny)

    by devnull17 ( 592326 ) * on Tuesday December 27, 2005 @10:21PM (#14349746) Homepage Journal

    So, as New Year's Eve is coming, remember to use only tall glasses for your party!!!

    If you want to have a good party, you should probably do the opposite.

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