Frat boys around the world laughed in agreement recently when British researchers released a new study saying that alcohol makes it harder for people to detect asymmetry in faces, a consequence less-affectionately known as “the beer goggle effect.”

As is well recorded, symmetry is known to be an crucial factor in determining beauty for many people.

Impaired judgment, fueled by alcohol consumption, frequently leads to more than enough, “What was I thinking?” moments the following morning.

Attempting to confirm a fact which numerous bar flies know to be true from years of trial and error, four researchers camped out in English pubs and other haunts of college students, asking them to participate in the study for the journal, “Alcohol”.

First, the 64 participants took a Breathalyzer test to establish whether or not they were drunk. Upon completing the test, students viewed twenty pairs of photos, one of which was altered to be perfectly symmetrical, and the other of which was slightly asymmetrical.

This was followed up by a series of only single-face images, and the attractiveness of each photo was given a rating by the participant.

The results, not surprisingly, showed that sober participants favored and could identify facial symmetry far more easily than the intoxicated participants.

Men also had an easier time detecting symmetrical faces while drunk than women did.

Halsey suggests that biologically, this gender disparity in judgment makes sense, as men often prefer and rely on visual stimulation.  Arguably, men start out with a sharper ability to sense symmetry.

“Men tend to ogle more than women do,” Halsey said in the study.

These researchers weren’t the first to want to test out the beer goggles theory.

In an infamous Mythbusters video experiment on the Discovery Channel, the show's three hosts test the beer goggles phenomenon by getting drunk themselves.

The results, the trio claim, indicate the theory’s plausibility.

Whatever the verdict may be on the certitude and reliability of the beer goggles effect, one thing is for sure: alcohol definitely changes your behavior.

The solution may be to only go drinking with attractive people—but after several beers, that could be almost anyone, especially for women.

To reach reporter Lindy Tolbert, click here.