Alcohol and the power of suggestion : their interactive effects on the insight phase of creative problem solving

It is a commonly held expectation that the consumption of alcohol will enhance and individual’s creative process. There is also a wide body of literature demonstrating the powerful effects a positive or a negative suggestion can have on a persons cognitive processes. The present study looks at how type of alcohol -- a real or a sham drink -- and how type of suggestion effect people’s ability to solve creative insight problems. As predicted, we found that participants receiving a sham-alcohol drink -- those who believe they are consuming alcohol but in fact are not -- outperform those who receive a real alcohol drink, and participants who receive a positive suggestion about how alcohol will effect their insight problem solving abilities outperform those who receive a negative or control suggestion.