The price list isn’t the first thing you see when you enter a busy pub. It’s the noise. There’s a low, vibrating hum at the door that, as you move inside, becomes a wall of noise that feels like a second heartbeat against your chest. Beers are being poured, glasses are clinking, and money is being exchanged somewhere behind the bar, but the music appears to set the beat for everything else.
Rising beer costs have long been assumed to be the cause of the nightlife economy’s decline. Indeed, they are important. However, it’s difficult to avoid feeling that something else is causing behavior to become more violent when you’re in a crowded room when conversations are reduced to yelled fragments. Something less obvious. Strangely enough, louder.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Nicolas Guéguen |
| Profession | Professor of Behavioral Sciences |
| Affiliation | Université de Bretagne-Sud |
| Area of Study | Human behavior, environmental psychology |
| Notable Research | Effects of music volume on alcohol consumption |
| Key Finding | Loud music increases drinking speed and volume |
| Reference | telegraph.co.uk |
Although it hasn’t always been the main focus, research has been heading in this direction for some time. Research headed by Nicolas Guéguen found something surprisingly straightforward: people drink more and more quickly when music loudness rises. When sound levels in controlled bar environments increased from a moderate 72 dB to about 88 dB, customers completed their beverages more quickly and placed additional orders. That’s about the difference between being next to traffic in the city and background chatter.
The shift occurs at a specific time, typically about 10:30 p.m. The level is gradually increasing, but the playlist hasn’t really altered. People stiffen their shoulders, lean in closer to speak, and laugh more frequently and loudly. Discussions become shorter. Glasses empty more quickly. The room itself seems to be speeding up as you watch it happen, pushing everyone ahead whether they are aware of it or not.
The majority of people may believe they are drinking because they are enjoying themselves. However, it’s possible that the relationship is reversed more frequently than we would want to acknowledge.
There is less poetry to what is going on in the brain. Loud surroundings cause minor physiological arousal, which causes the heart rate to rise, stress hormones to slightly increase, and decision making to become less thoughtful and more instantaneous. You get a feedback loop that is surprisingly effective when you include alcohol, which already dulls inhibition. Drinking more quickly causes drunkenness, which results in even less self control. Quietly, almost courteously, the cycle intensifies.
A different kind of pressure is being applied to the sector as a whole. In General, younger audiences especially Gen Z are consuming less alcohol. According to surveys, consumption may have decreased by up to 20% when compared to earlier generations. Beer, which used to be the unchallenged leader in concert and bar sales, is suffering the most.
Theoretically, this change should force venues to reconsider their prices or expand their offers. Rather, many appear to be leaning more deeply into the atmosphere. By speeding up consumption, louder music acts as a sort of alternative income plan, making up for fewer beverages per person.
That has an odd irony to it. The settings created to promote alcohol are growing more intense rather than less as it becomes less prevalent in youth culture, partly due to health consciousness, mental health issues, and even substitutes like edible cannabis. It seems as though the industry is raising the volume in an attempt to outpace a cultural shift.
Furthermore, it goes beyond economics. Social dynamics also shift. People stay longer in areas that are quieter. Talking goes on. Instead of being eaten, drinks are sipped. However, conversation gets disjointed as the music reaches a certain point. It’s more difficult, therefore you speak less. Because it’s simpler, you drink more.
A little bar in the early evening with music so low you could hear a chair scraping the floor is a memory that keeps coming back to me. People were conversing quietly, drinking their drinks, and checking their phones. The same room felt completely different two hours later it was faster, denser, and louder. The beverages weren’t less expensive. They were more costly, if anything. However, nobody appeared to be aware of it.
That is the portion that persists. One thing that people consider is price. They sense volume. The majority of bar patrons may or may not be conscious of how much their surroundings influence their decisions. Peer pressure, mood, or simply one of those nights are sometimes blamed. The speakers above the dance floor, which pulse steadily and almost imperceptibly direct behavior, are rarely pointed out.
It makes sense from a business standpoint. Particularly in smaller establishments, where alcohol sales frequently determine whether a night is profitable, bars operate on low margins. Even a little percentage boost in revenue from louder music makes it difficult to ignore. However, there is an additional expense that is more difficult to quantify
. Better experiences are not always correlated with faster drinking. Discussions are lost. The nights blend together. And sometimes things go a bit too far. As you see it unfold, you quietly realize that what’s in the glass isn’t the main lever in nightlife. It’s the atmosphere. And very few people are questioning it, in contrast to alcohol costs.
i) https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/jul/19/medicalresearch.fooddrinks
ii) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/does-loud-bar-music-make-you-drink-more/
iii) https://www.hypebot.com/drink-up-why-bar-music-is-so-damn-loud/