Buzz
Many studies indicate that for a service-based business, factors such as lighting, fragrance, and sound in the surrounding space influence purchasing behavior and how consumers pay for that product or service. For example, classical music is often played in upscale establishments, while dance music is commonly used in bars, pubs, or large festivals requiring crowd energy. Different genres have varying impacts on consumer psychology and behavior. So, does varying music volume affect the behavior of people enjoying such services?The answer is yes. A study has shown that in bars, louder music leads to faster drinking and shorter stays.
“Previous studies have shown that fast-paced music can lead people to drink faster, and the presence of music greatly affects their time in the bar.” – Nicolas Gúeguen, behavioral science professor at the University of Bretagne-Sud (France), who supported the authors of the study, stated: “This is also the first experimental study on the impact of loud music on the demand for alcoholic products.”Researchers visited 2 bars on 3 Saturday evenings in a city in western France. 40 men aged 18 to 25 participated in a survey where they were unaware of being observed, each served a 250ml glass of beer. With the bar owner's permission, observers randomly adjusted the sound levels (sometimes 72dB – considered normal, sometimes 88dB – loud) with 40 familiar songs. When selected participants left the bar, sound levels were randomly adjusted for new patrons.
The results show that higher sound intensity leads to faster drinking, accompanied by shorter stays (two birds, one stone).Gúeguen and his colleagues proposed 2 hypotheses: “First, it's consistent with previous research on music, food, drinks; loud noise can stimulate, leading to faster drinking and increased orders.”; “Second, playing loud music may have negative effects on interaction, communication in the bar, thus, patrons may drink more and talk less.”
In France, over 70,000 people die each year from chronic alcoholism, and “alcoholic beverages” are linked to most fatal car accidents here. “We've demonstrated that music played in bars is associated with alcohol consumption,” Gúeguen said: “We encourage bar owners to play music moderately so that consumers realize that music volume affects alcohol consumption.”Source: sciencedaily
