5:50pm UK, Tuesday September 23, 2003

Men think women are more attractive after a couple of drinks but the reverse is true for women, according to a new study.

Drink won't help you get her in the back of your car

The effect of so-called beer goggles on men is of relatively little surprise but research carried out at the University of Vienna shows that men hoping to woo a woman should think twice before getting her too drunk.

Psychologist Andreas Mittermair, who headed the research team, told the Daily Star: "It has long been known that women do not have the same obsession with looks as men and are more interested in other qualities like personality.

"But it was interesting that alcohol makes a man seem even less attractive to a woman and contradicts popular belief that alcohol will encourage a romantic mood for both sexes."

The study took a set of both male and female volunteers and asked them to grade pictures of the opposite sex from good-looking to ugly while sober.

Different volunteers were then given varying amounts of alcohol and asked to perform the same task.

Mr Mittermair said: "Without fail, drunken men rated girls several grades up the ladder in comparison with men who had graded the same pictures but had not been drinking."

However, drunken women consistently gave pictures of men lower ratings than women who were sober.

"We have to conclude that there is a significant connection between the alcohol level and the perception of beauty for men and women it just works the opposite way for both sexes."