Pondering over a glass or two of wine, these economists pondered two questions: "is this ad hoc observation representative of a true phenomenon? Does a real (positive) correlation between monogamy and alcohol consumption exist?" I recommend you read this study, "Women or Wine? Monogamy and Alcohol" as it is fascinating. The bottom line is summed up nicely by Mara Squicciarini, one of the co-authors: “We were surprised to find that there is a trade-off between alcohol consumption and the number of sex partners that men tended to keep at any one time." Notable points in this paper:
- Apparently there is a ton of data on "frequency of drunkeness" - data that goes back centuries.
- Greek and Roman Empires were the only societies who consumed alcohol in that point in history. They were also the only societies who embraced 'formal monogamy.'
- Alcohol consumption did not alter the number of sexual partners a woman had. Slut shaming strikes again!
- The Catholic Church may have its issues, but the Church was critical at spreading viticulture around Europe. They were also helpful at spreading breweries around the world too. Servicey!
- The Industrial Revolution appears to be the tipping point for both alcohol consumption and monogamy.
- Lord Krishna was said to have 16,108 wives and King Solomon had 700 wives and about 300 concubines -- all without Ok Cupid.
Originally published at Crasstalk.com
This is brilliant. I never really thought about a potential correlation before. Huh. And wine economists? I WANT that job! On the subject of monogamy, I wouldn't mind too much if there were a few of me around the house. You know. One to clean, one to parent, one to do the deeds I'm too pooped for. Maybe not. idk.
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