"The simple act of holding a drink displays a lot more about us than we realise - or might want to divulge, Wilson says, "When you're in a crowded bar, often all you have to go on is body language. To a large extent, it's an unconscious thing and just reflects the person you are and the type of social relationships you have." In other words: look! It's just one more thing you have to worry about when you're out drinking. Not only are people silently judging you on your clothes, your hair, your choice of drink, and your conversational skills, they're judging you on the way you hold your bloody glass as well. Oh joy! Oh bliss!

Wilson divides his glass-holders into eight distinct personality types: The Flirt, The Playboy, The Ice Queen, The Wallflower, The Fun Lover, Jack-the-Lad (douchebag frat guy) and The Browbeater. And yes, each "type" is just as annoying and stereotypical as it sounds.

The Flirt, Wilson argues, will "may position it over her cleavage so as to draw attention to her attributes," while the ice-queen "drinks from a wine glass, or a short glass, which is held firmly in a barrier position across the body so as to deter intimate approaches. It is usually a waste of time approaching this woman; she may be ready with a castrating put-down." Or maybe she just doesn't want to talk to YOU in particular? Ever think of that, Glass-Man?

Men have their own equally as annoying glass-holding stereotypes to fit into: the Playboy "uses his, usually long, glass or bottle as a phallic prop, playing with it suggestively," while the Browbeater, "usually male, he prefers large glasses, or bottles, which he uses as symbolic weapons, firmly grasped, and gesticulating in a threatening, 'in the face' kind of way." So essentially for men, I guess, bottles are penises that hold liquor.

All of Wilson's glass-holding types come across as fairly unpleasant people, and one wonders how legit this study is, considering that people may just take on a different stance due to certain environmental factors and influences. Someone may be in "Flirt" mode one second and "Ice Queen" mode the next, depending on who is making the advances. Someone may come across as a Wallflower while holding their first drink but a Playboy by the time they get their hands on their fourth or fifth.

Wilson seems to have missed out on a few glass personality types as well. What of the Scorpion Bowl sharer? Or the person who insists upon drinking out of the tiny stirring straw? Or the Shot Drinker? Or the Weekend Blogger, who holds her straw with her chin whilst balancing a glass of chocolate milk on her chest and typing at the same time?

What say you commenters? Is this glass-holding nonsense legit? Or just another unnecessary thing to worry about?

'Glass Hold' Reveals Personality [BBC]

Psychologists from Bradley University of Illinois say that both physical and social stresses in poorer countries are the reason that there is less of a personality difference in those societies. The personality tests of men in these countries suggest that they are more cautious, anxious, and less assertive than men in wealthy societies, and researchers say this may be because their natural biological traits are muted because their growth is stunted by disease and malnutrition. Evidence shows that poorer agricultural societies where a few men hold the power are actually unnatural, because hunter-gatherers were actually more egalitarian. They suggest that modern progressive cultures are actually moving us back to a more ancient state where men and women were considered equal overall, but had predisposed interests in different domains.

But some, like John Tierney in a NY Times blog post, say the gap is more likely just an illusion resulting from the way people in different cultures interpret the personality tests. For example, in a traditional culture like that found in Bangladesh, a man may rate his aggressiveness as average because he's comparing himself only to other men in his society, or a woman may rate her benevolence lower than a woman in a wealthy society because she's acting out or social duty, not personal kindness.

Another study out today suggests that the differences between men and women may be less culturally motivated and have more to do with how men and women are wired biologically. In trying to understand why men and women of equal intelligence tend to excel at different cognitive tasks, Spanish researchers studied brain tissue from the left temporal cortex and found that men had 52% more synapses in that region than women, and they suspect there are other brain regions where women have greater synaptic density than men.

As Barriers Disappear, Some Gender Gaps Widen [NY Times]
Gender Differences Seen In Brain Connections [New Scientist]