Don’t upset drunk fat men!

By mthomas

Another cracking research review from the BPS Research Digest…

There are some obvious practical reasons why you might want to avoid provoking the big, drunk guy in the bar. After all, he’s bigger than you. However, according to a new study, there’s a psychological reason to be wary - heavier men are, on average, more likely to be aggressive when drunk than are lighter men. Nathan DeWall and colleagues say their finding is consistent with evolutionary theory and research on embodied cognition.

Over five hundred women (average weight 149 lb) and men (average weight 183 lb), aged 21 to 35, consumed either an alcoholic beverage or a placebo drink before taking part in a reaction time contest. The winner of each round had the opportunity to inflict an electric shock on their opponent. Their choices of how strong and long a shock to inflict was the measure of aggression. Unbeknown to the participants, their opponent was fictitious and the game was fixed so that they won fifty per cent of the rounds.

The key finding was that among the male participants only, alcohol interacted with body weight to predict aggression. That is, heavier men who had an alcoholic drink tended to be more aggressive than those who had an alcohol-free placebo drink. By contrast, having an alcoholic vs. placebo drink made little difference to the aggression of lighter men.

Another way of looking at the results was that, among men who had the alcoholic drink, those who were heavier tended to be more aggressive. For the female participants, their weight bore no relation to their aggressiveness. These same findings were replicated in a second study with a further 327 men and women.

It makes sense in terms of evolutionary theory that bigger men should be more prone to aggression, the researchers said, because ‘they’re more able than weaker men to inflict costs on others in conflict situations.’ The same isn’t true for women because even those who are larger will usually be smaller and weaker than potential male adversaries.

An association between weight and aggression is also predicted by embodied cognition, the researchers said. This is the idea that the way we think about abstract concepts is rooted in physical metaphors. One example is that we think about importance in terms of weight, thus leading heavier people to feel more important and entitled to special treatment.

Consistent with both these theoretical arguments, past research has indeed found that physical size is related to aggression. However, DeWall’s team said their new study is the first to show that weight is a predictor of alcohol-induced increases in aggression. ‘It seems that alcohol reduced the inhibition for heavy men to “throw their weight around” and intimidate others by behaving aggressively,’ they said.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.02.008

The Psychology of Wine - ‘Truth and beauty by the glass’

By mthomas

I had decided not to buy this book because it is expensive and I had read a highly critical review by the usually reliable  W. Blake Grey at ‘Vinography’. However, a well-meaning pal bought me a copy and so I spent a few hours wading through it. If only I could have that time back again. I think they should have called it ‘Pretentious about wine: clumsy literary references are easier than careful evaluation and communication about  psychological research and knowledge relating to wine’ . I found it is the most annoying book (tone and content) about wine that I have read in some time.

A few points before I start the review proper:

• I usually only review books, articles or papers containing information I think people will find useful and/or are well-written (this is evidenced by previous reviews - click on link to left to read them)
• Any views expressed are mine alone and not representative of my employers, publishers, family or any one else I haven’t thought of
• I am writing a book on psychology and wine and thus my perspective is a particular one
• There are some great writers out there who are working hard to demystify wine, and to increase participation and enjoyment
• I alluded to Blake Grey’s negative review of the book in a blog a few months back and one of the authors sent me an email that included the following passage  ” ignorance of the implications of experimental design and methodology in the behavioural sciences is something you seem happy to share with your colleague. (Add to this an ignorance of two millennia’s philosophy of aesthetics, as your fatuous musings unwittingly show.)” Other passages were less flattering, even more pompous, inaccurate and, to be frank, very amusing - for the record I supervise Doctoral level research (including experimental methodology) in psychology and Blake Grey is not a colleague (we have never even met)
• Mr Mitchell did not respond to my offer to publish the email he sent, review the book or pass the book to another reviewer
• I withdrew the blog out of courtesy but stated an intention to review the book in future

So, what is this book like?

In my opinion it is self-indulgent, pretentious and ’so bad it’s funny’. The worst indictment however is the paucity of  psychology. I tend to subscribe to the Oxford English Dictionary definition;  The science of the nature, function and phenomena of human mind. I know that there are different ‘psychologies’ and enjoy the diversity of these. If this book had outlined the relative value of nomothetic and idiographic approaches before launching in to a series of anecdotes I would have been unconcerned as there can be value in an anecdotal approach when executed with reflexivity, wit and insight. What this book appears to be is something it is, in my opinion, not i.e. a book to inform readers of psychological research and findings related to wine (which I guess is what most people might expect from the title).

The authors repeatedly fail to operationalise key areas under examination and show little awareness of the wealth of studies into sensory and neuropsychological aspects of our interaction with wine. References are literary and subjective, strung together with hyperbole and simplistic analysis “Wine is a multi-multi-billion dollar industry…”. The authors continually use three words, where one (perhaps none) would have sufficed, and indulge in rambling and interminable asides.  Perhaps they should read Orwell on writing because I guess he, and their literary heroes such as Beckett, might have viewed their posturing style as anathema with carefully composed words being interpreted in such a self-serving and arbitrary manner.

The tone is set with a badly judged vignette where the authors imagine the ‘discovery’ of wine by a ‘Neanderthal’ called ‘Ugg’ who is later transformed into ‘Daisy’ in an apparent attempt to make a simplistic point about gender. In fact this trivialising of an evolutionary perspective, and complete failure to capture the incredible psychological implications of such an event only appears in ‘Chapter’ 3 following a tiresome eulogy to a glass of wine on Santorini (the one page first ‘Chapter’) and confusing passage on Caravaggio in ‘Chapter’ 2 where the authors find time (fill space?) by commenting “This film was marked by the appearance of the translucent Tilda Swinton, who subsequently graduated from indie film muse to Narnia white witch and oscar winner” (page 7).  Now that’s what I want from a book about psychology and wine…

Vague allusions to ‘anthropological theories’ are made but never fully materialize. There are small sections on memory and language that are vaguely coherent but these are found in a plethora of cheaper, better written and widely available books, and serve only to highlight the absence of any central thesis regarding psychology and wine. The authors appear too busy producing flatulent comments on ‘fave films’ to include key information on the way we think and talk about wine.

The section on ratings berates us with the idea that scores are ‘all about authority’ but the authors demonstrate a complete lack of insight into the limitations of  their own ‘authoritative’ stance as well as the irony of such a statement. Most psychologists recognise the role of statistics but the Mitchells seem content (complacent) in simply pontificating about ratings rather than pursuing any meaningful analysis in terms of the properties of scales or the limitations of such heuristics.

Chapter 8 consists of a list of grape varieties with the author’s ‘idiosyncratic’ take on each.  Examples include ”Albarino - Wants to love you with seafood, in its Spanish manner.” (page 49) and Tempranillo - Ole’!!!”  (page 51) This is so impoverished it beggars belief. The exclamation marks simply emphasise the vacuous nature of what is being stated (shouted) and are a perfect example of a ’stain on the silence‘ (That’s Beckett by the way).

There are presumably unintentionally comic interpretations of quotations from Robertson Davis, Ian McEwan et al, ad infinitum to add weight to flimsy ideas. There are also a few more passages I found quite sinister, strange at best. One particularly disconcerting example (p38-39) flits from a meeting with an ‘old flame’ to Giacometti’s ‘Woman with her throat cut’ and then focuses on Jeremy Irons and gynaecological instruments from Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers. Descriptions of women in this book could keep a Freudian analyst busy for a few lifetimes (the authors often use Freudian concepts, thus illustrating their engagement with cutting-edge psychology). An update of bad commercial Chardonnay - ‘Dolly Parton’ wines is offered as  ”Pamela Anderson wines” because, obviously, Pammy is ‘up to date’ in the eyes of the authors but is also described as not a “real woman”. Make no mistake, when the humour falls flat and the underpinning constructs emerge, this is I think quite ugly stuff.

This is a book that has Hannibal Lecter in the Index but omits any mention of Adrienne Lehrer, the most informative and relevant writer on the language of wine. There are a hundred more similar indictments that could be made but, as with reading this book, life is too short. There is, in my opinion, still no book that collects together key theories and experimental results from psychology for wine lovers but there are some that explore fascinating and complex philosophical issues in the world of wine. Those interested in these should read either of two excellent collections - Fritz Allhoff’s ‘Wine and Philosophy; A Symposium on Thinking and Drinking’ or Barry C. Smith’s ‘Questions of Taste; The Philosophy of Wine’.  They actually have a lot of psychology in them too.

Allhoff, F. (Ed.) (2008) Wine and Philosophy Wiley-Blackwell (Review Here)

Smith, B. C. (2007) Questions of Taste; The Philosophy of Wine Signal Books

London International Wine Fair

By mthomas

My latest displacement activity (to avoid writing) was to take a day off to visit the LIWF. It is great that Excel is attracting this kind of event to East London. It is a world class venue and I have been to quite a few things there including the boat show. I particularly like being able to escape outside to enjoy the fresh air coming off the river and the derelict warehouses opposite. The Royal Victoria Docks watersports centre is also on the doorstep and there is a small ‘beach’ in the shadow of Canary wharf where I sometimes sit and watch my kids mess about in boats.

I tend to switch in to ‘Psychologist mode’ at large events. I like to observe the way crowds behave and am always fascinated by the social exchanges which mediate the underlying commercial motives. It was generally well-organised and not too full (when I was there) so people seemed relatively relaxed. Unlike most conferences alcohol flows from the off and this perhaps influences the ambience. Later in the day there was even a bit of well-mannered rowdiness.

Highlights included the selection from Moreno wines (website here) with some high quality but affordable  Spanish whites. The most interesting and enjoyable wine of the Fair, for me at least, was the Palacio de Fefinanes Albariño Tercer Año 2005 (aged on its lees for over a year and released 3 years after production). It was a revelation and showed stunning complexity and length. I love this, unfortunately very limited production, wine.

Other highlights included tasting across the Pommery range with the affable Jonathan Simms from Justerini and Brooks. I think Pommery are on the up and have a good direction with their new products whilst maintaining their classics such as Cuvee Louise and the ‘Wintertime’ Blancs de Noir.

I also enjoyed meeting Vincent Robert from Champagne Robert Delph (website here) and hope to take up his kind offer of talking about psychology with his group of young growers in the region. People associate Champagne with privilege and luxury but for each generation of smaller producers it can be tough surviving, let alone thriving, amongst the corporate giants.

I had aimed to spend time in some of the masterclasses but found myself constantly distracted by interesting asides including a wonderful belated birthday lunch with an old friend who treated me to a serene Japanese meal away from the hustle and bustle of the LIWF. I did manage to briefly pop in to the blogger-friendly ‘Access Zone’ and had an appropriately tweet-sized conversation about Twitter with Ryan Opaz. However, I am still not convinced that you can communicate anything meaningful using it unless there is a natural disaster or civil unrest occurring.

The Wines of Josko Gravner

By mthomas

Some wine makers, like some football managers, are ’special’ and Josko Gravner is one of them. Special in a ‘good way’, unique, single-minded, serious and visionary, maybe a touch eccentric or driven. He makes wine in an ancient style and it is fascinating and refreshing to taste this in a world that is increasingly dominated by over-extracted and superficial Frankenwines.

Only wine with something interesting to say would have pulled me across London to Westbourne Grove earlier this week to a tasting at Daylesford Organic (website here). A wander down Portobello Road also added some value as I haven’t been back since I moved to East London a decade ago.

The invitation was from the very polite and bright David A. Harvey, for Raeburn Fine Wines (website here), who champions ‘natural’ wines. This is an increasingly popular and contested tag that signifies a philosophy of non-interventionism. These wines are not always ‘easy drinking’ but they are often interesting, great to share and discuss. For me this is an important dimension in terms of enjoyment. They are also fundamentally honest and tend to be made by people such as Gravner who know the value rather than the price of things.

Gravner makes his  wine in Oslavia on the border of Italy and Slovenia where many are bilingual and the cultures merge. His whites, Breg and Ribolla Gialla are macerated in 5000 litre amphorae (see pic on left) for six months. A three year elevage follows. Macerating, and fermenting, whole grapes with pips and skins is becoming more popular and you can see why when it produces a wine of this colour and depth. I felt lucky to be tasting both wines from 2005 back to 1998 and this highlighted both the overall consistency but also the subtle differences between years. When you taste like this Terroir becomes manifest.

These are beautiful looking wines - a golden hue with a russet glow -  with a wonderful nose but the taste comes as something of a shock. They are powerful, almost overpowering in their intensity, strangely tannic but waxy and citrus too. The Breg more complex and confusing than the Ribolla, the only analogy I can find is with older Burgundy, Sherry maybe. Suggested food matches are fish and seafood but also game and wild mushrooms (for me the latter with some garlic butter might work). However, the most important match for these amazing wines is an open mind .

Take a look at his website at www.gravner.it

Great Pizza in Shoreditch

By mthomas

It took some persuading to  get me to go out in the rain  for a  pizza but it was well  worth it.  Pizza East in  Shoreditch is shamelessly  modelled on the successful American warehouse style  pizzeria with industrial  touches,  a  serious  approach to  sourcing great  ingredients and good-looking staff. Most importantly, they spent a shed load of cash on getting the pizza dough and oven right.

Any pizzeria lives or dies on the quality of the pizza crust and Pizza East’s is spot on. A blistered and crispy thing of beauty, I was happy as Larry (Luigi) munching on edges discarded by youngest son with a tumbler of Pinot Grigio, Mannara, a Venetian Rose which at £18 for a 500ml carafe isn’t cheap but was perfectly suited to its supporting role. Both boys had already demolished textbook garlic bread (passing the really big i.e. whole cloves to mum and dad). Mum’s Italian genes (DNA not Fiorucci) gave the thumbs up too, and her pizza with San Daniele Prosciutto, tomato, ricotta, pesto and baby chard was as good as any we’ve had in Milan or Miami. Even the simple green salad was as it should be, green and well-dressed.

The wine list is solidly Italian, apart from familiar French fizz and a few American bottles (to attract tourist dollars perhaps) including Willamette Valley Riesling and Stag’s Leap Chardonnay in the white list and Cline Vineyard Zin and Stimson Merlot in the red. Personally I would always go for Prosecco (there are only two, Valdobbiadene and Rotari Rosado opposed to six Champagnes - a missed opportunity)  in a pizzeria and with some really sound Italian bottles including Sannio Falanghina and Claudio Alario Barolo you can drink well here.

I can never resist indulging my love of  Rose’ with pizza and was a bit disappointed that there were only two to choose from. The Venetian was good but there are half a dozen I can think of from the South that would really be at home on the list. Prices range from £18 to £86 per bottle so there is a surprising absence of ‘trophy wines’ given the proximity to the city boys in Liverpool street. A good selection by the glass and over a dozen available in 500 ml carafes makes it easy to try something different.

There is something so psychologically rewarding about things being executed correctly due to planning and investment and the rain outside didn’t dampen the overall effect of a great pizzeria.

Pizza East, Tea Bulding, 56 Shoreditch High Street, london E1 6JJ

www.pizzaeast.com   tel 0207 729 1888