Gentlemen, when you raise a glass to your health, do it with confidence! The Scotsman recently reported that heading out to a pub for a couple pints with the boys is actually good for your health – well, mental health, anyway.
Maybe you’ve always felt you thought a little better when your lips were a little wetter, but now it’s been proven. The Medical Research Council released a report titled Drinking Attitudes in Midlife, which definitively states that sharing a round of drinks with friends has positive effects on the mental well-being of men 30-50 years old, loosening the constitution of even the most masculine of men to the point where they feel comfortable articulating their emotions. The study goes on to proclaim that sitting down for a few rounds with your mates expedites the bonding process, bringing you emotionally closer faster.
The study is careful to point out that alcohol itself isn’t the sole reason for these spirit-lifting results. It’s not so much the pints that cause men to open up to their buddies; it’s the revelry that comes with sharing the experience with friends. In fact, the study shows that a group of friends buying rounds for each other causes a particularly poignant feeling of inclusion and recognition – much more than the act of consuming.
The study confirms what we here at The Village of Machrihanish Dunes have pretty much always known. Our pubs, The Old Clubhouse Pub in Machrihanish and The Black Sheep Pub in Campbeltown, have always been a place to gather with friends over a wee dram or a pint or two. With themed nights, live music, delicious food and smiling faces behind the bar, they’re great places to let your troubles wash away and spend a few hours making merry with friends—or just as good, making a few new ones. We’ve always felt that what makes a pub isn’t just superb supper and suds (although that helps)—it’s the feeling of camaraderie that comes from a good group of people coming together for a good time. And now, we have the science to prove it!