Gender affected the relationship between the type of model and both the number of sips taken and the amount consumed per sip. The presence of a heavy consumption model increased the number of sips of alcohol taken by both men and women. However, women took more sips than men did when matching the consumption of a heavy drinking model. Men consumed more per sip when paired with a heavy drinking model than with a light drinking model, whereas women did not consume different amounts per sip based on the model. These gender effects are likely due to the different ways in which men and women drink.
Women generally take more sips than men.
Both reviews show that modeling of alcohol consumption can have a strong influence on various aspects of drinking behavior, including the amount consumed, blood alcohol concentration, number of sips, and the amount consumed in each sip. Modeling effects have a particularly powerful influence on the behavior of moderate to heavy social drinkers. The findings of this review are useful to applied professionals. For example, prevention and treatment professionals can use these findings to help clients who are trying to identify situations that pose a risk to their efforts to reduce or regulate their alcohol intake. The review suggests that drinking in the presence of friendly heavy drinkers can lead to heavier drinking.