"Researchers from the University of Bath asked 50 native German speakers who had recently learned Dutch to take part in a conversation after consuming either a low dose of alcohol or a non-alcoholic beverage. The findings showed that participants who had consumed alcohol were rated as having better Dutch pronunciation, suggesting having a few drinks may reduce language anxiety and lead to improved fluency. The study has just won the Ig Nobel 'Peace' prize, which celebrates research that makes people 'laugh and then think'."
"Here are some of the other quirky studies that have won an award this year. Fingernail growth speed The late Dr William Bean, who died in 1989, has been awarded the Literature prize for 'persistently recording and analysing the rate of growth of one of his fingernails over a period of 35 years'. His research, which was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 1980, revealed a 'slowing of growth with increasing age'."
Fifty native German speakers who recently learned Dutch took part in conversations after consuming either a low dose of alcohol or a non-alcoholic beverage. Participants who had consumed alcohol were rated as having better Dutch pronunciation. The results suggest that having a few drinks may reduce language anxiety and lead to improved fluency. The work received the Ig Nobel 'Peace' prize, which honors research that makes people 'laugh and then think'. Additional awardees included a long-term fingernail growth record showing slowed growth with age and research examining effects of telling people they are intelligent.
Read at Mail Online
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