Does marriage affect drinking? A new study provides insights
A new University of Virginia study indicates that people who are married, or cohabitating, generally tend to drink less -- that's fewer drinks, and less frequently. The findings also show that singles are more inclined to drink more often, and in larger quantities. "Intimate relationships cause a decline in alcohol consumption" is the gist of the finding, according to lead study author Diana Dinescu, a UVA Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology. Her study -- conducted with other researchers at UVA, as well as at the University of Southern California and Washington State University -- compared the reported drinking patterns of twins in and out of relationships. The findings appear in the Journal of Family Psychology . Previous studies have shown that married adults drink less than single or divorced people, and Dinescu and her colleagues examined the behaviors of 2,425 same-sex twin pairs to see if these findings held up among people who share genetic and familial...