酒后吐真言，真的假的？

The old Latin adage "In vino veritas" —meaning "In wine, there is truth" —is just one of a litany of sayings perpetuating the idea that alcohol is a sort of truth serum. The phrase is attributed to Pliny the Elder, a Roman scientist, historian and soldier, though similar aphorisms can be traced back even further, to ancient Greece.

But does alcohol really make people more honest? The answer is both yes and no, experts told Live Science.

Alcohol makes us more likely to say whatever's on our minds. In some cases, that could be the truth. In some cases, it could be what you think is the truth in your intoxicated state.

So there's definitely a higher likelihood that someone will speak their mind after a few drinks. But there's also a chance that they will say something that feels real while drunk but that they wouldn't take seriously while sober.

The biggest change after drinking was that they became much more extroverted. Though the study didn't investigate whether alcohol was a truth serum, it makes sense that someone who feels more at ease in a social setting is also more likely to be candid.

Alcohol's ability to help people come out of their shell may help them say what's on their minds, but its effects on emotions can make those thoughts more mercurial.

We generally find that drinking alcohol tends to intensify our emotions. We may find ourselves smiling more and speaking more loudly in pleasant interactions, but perhaps we might also be more likely to cry in our beer in less-pleasant situations.

Those heightened emotions might lead people to say what's on their sober mind, but they can also put someone in a volatile state where they say something they don't really mean or deeply regret later. It's similar to how drinking makes some people more likely to become violent or to gamble —actions that may cross their sober minds, but they would have the wherewithal to avoid.

Because alcohol can change our thoughts and feelings, it's unsurprising that behaviors can also change. Alcohol can lead our behaviors to become more extreme.

These effects stem from alcohol's ability to cause disinhibition, which means a person is more likely to act on their impulses. This happens because alcohol dampens signals in the prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain that regulates behavior and controls impulses, White explained.

What's more, alcohol also suppresses the amygdala, a structure deep in the brain known for sparking feelings of fear and anxiety. While a person is sober, the amygdala generally sends out warning signals that can stop a person from saying or doing things that could lead to a social faux paus, but those signals quiet down after a few drinks.

So is there really "veritas in vino"?

Sure, people might be more likely to divulge secrets after a few glasses of wine —but they're also likely to blurt out something they don't really mean and will regret the next morning. The effects of alcohol on the mind are simply too complex to have a black-and-white effect on honesty.

Alcohol is not a truth serum. That's for certain.

古老的拉丁谚语“In vino veritas”——意思是“酒后吐真言”——只是众多宣扬酒精是一种“吐真剂”这一观点的谚语之一。这句话被认为是古罗马科学家、历史学家和军人老普林尼所说，不过类似的格言甚至可以追溯到更久远的古希腊。

但酒精真的能让人更诚实吗？专家告诉《生活科学》，答案既是肯定的，又是否定的。

酒精让我们更有可能说出心里所想。在某些情况下，那可能是真话。在某些情况下，那可能是你在醉酒状态下认为的真话。

所以，一个人在喝了几杯酒后肯定更有可能说出心里话。但也有可能他们会在醉酒时说出一些感觉很真实但在清醒时不会当真的话。

饮酒后最大的变化是他们变得更加外向。虽然这项研究没有调查酒精是否是“吐真剂”，但可以理解的是，在社交场合中感觉更自在的人也更有可能直言不讳。

酒精让人打开心扉的能力可能会帮助他们说出心里的想法，但它对情绪的影响会使这些想法更加善变。

我们通常发现饮酒往往会强化我们的情绪。在愉快的互动中，我们可能会发现自己笑得更多、说话声音更大，但在不太愉快的情况下，我们也许也更有可能借酒消愁。

这些强烈的情绪可能会让人们说出他们清醒时的想法，但也可能会让人处于一种不稳定的状态，说出一些他们并非真心想说或之后会深感后悔的话。这就类似于喝酒会让一些人更容易变得暴力或去赌博——这些行为可能在他们清醒时也会存在，但他们有能力避免。

因为酒精可以改变我们的想法和感受，所以行为也会发生变化也就不足为奇了。酒精会使我们的行为变得更加极端。

这些影响源于酒精使人失去抑制的能力，这意味着一个人更有可能按照自己的冲动行事。这是因为酒精会抑制前额叶皮层的信号，前额叶皮层是大脑中调节行为和控制冲动的区域，怀特解释说。

此外，酒精还会抑制杏仁核，杏仁核是大脑深处的一个结构，以引发恐惧和焦虑感而闻名。当一个人清醒时，杏仁核通常会发出警告信号，可以阻止一个人说出或做出可能导致社交失态的事情，但喝了几杯酒后，这些信号就会减弱。

那么真的有“酒后吐真言”吗？

当然，人们在喝了几杯酒后可能更有可能泄露秘密——但他们也可能脱口而出一些并非真心想说的话，并在第二天早上后悔。酒精对大脑的影响实在太复杂，对诚实不可能有非黑即白的影响。

酒精不是“吐真剂”，这是肯定的。

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