When it comes alcohol, it may make you momentarily happier but over longer periods, boozing more does not make them more satisfied with life, suggests a new study.
The research, led by a social policy expert at the University of Kent, also found that people who developed drinking problems were less satisfied with life.
Although the effect of alcohol on happiness is often discussed during debates about alcohol policy and regulation, it has rarely been the subject of serious academic study. Instead, governments have simply used the economist assumption that everyone always acts rationally and in their best interests, even when they are drunk or addicted to alcohol.
The authors, Dr Ben Baumberg Geiger and Dr George MacKerron, made use of both an iPhone-based app and a traditional cohort study to generate the findings.
The results suggested that after making allowances for other factors such as illness that can effect wellbeing, there was no connection between people's drinking and their happiness over a period of time. The exception to this was in situations where alcohol became a problem, leading to reduced feelings of wellbeing.
The study appears in Social Science & Medicine.