The secrets behind the way you hold your drink

A new study released today has revealed that the way you hold your drink says more about you than you might think.

The ‘Walkabout Drinks Report’ concludes that the way you hold your drink reveals key personality traits and gives away secrets you might not want people to find out.

After observing over 500 people drinking in bars across the country, Dr. Glenn Wilson, a consultant psychologist, has discovered eight types of drinker.

Analysing people’s body language and using the “Interpersonal Behaviour Circle” theory*, he has also pinpointed celebrities who seem to personify the types identified. They include the “Jack the Lad” Jason Statham; “Ice Queen” Victoria Beckham; “Fun-loving” Sarah Harding and “Playboy” Russell Brand.

The research was commissioned by Walkabout bars to help them get a better understanding of their customers. It suggests that people fall into only one of eight categories when they raise a drink to their lips.

The types of drinker are:

1. The Flirt: Usually a woman, who holds her glass with dainty, splayed fingers and uses it in a provocative way. She may position it over her cleavage so as to draw attention to her attributes or peer over the rim to make eye contact when taking a sip. She may “tease” the rim of the glass with her finger, perhaps dipping it into the drink and sucking it dry.

Assuming her agenda is appealing, the best way to approach is with reciprocal flirtatious gestures. Celebrities: Paris Hilton, Kate Walsh (The Apprentice).

2. The Gossip: This (mainly female) drinker tends to cluster in all-female groups talking about other people, and can be critical. She holds a wine glass by the bowl and uses it to gesticulate and make points in conversation. She is inclined to lean over her drink, in towards others so as to speak confidentially.

This person already has a close-knit social group with little inclination to extend it, therefore advances from outsiders are not usually welcome. Celebrities: Kate Moss, Sadie Frost.

3. The Fun-lover: This type of drinker may be a man or a woman, who drinks to be sociable and values togetherness. A convivial individual, he / she enjoys being with their friends, and likes a laugh. Swigs taken from bottled drinks are short, so they don’t miss out on chipping in with the conversation. The bottle is held loosely at its shoulder for ease.

This type of person is always happy to extend their social circle. The best way to approach them therefore is to leap directly into light, good-humoured conversation and make them laugh. Celebrities: Sarah Harding, Helen Chamberlain (Soccer AM).

4. The Wallflower: This is a shy, submissive individual who holds the glass protectively, not letting go, as though afraid somebody will take it away. Palms are kept hidden and the glass is used as a social crutch – the drink is never quite finished, with a mouthful left in case of emergency. The drink is small (maybe half a pint of lager for a man). It may be drunk through a straw, which is fidgeted with, and used to stir the drink between sips. The style and pace of drinking is an echo of those around them (very little is initiated). 

This individual needs to be approached in a gentle, sensitive way, with perhaps a few understated compliments to build self-confidence, but may eventually warm to overtures. Celebrities: Scarlett Johannson, Natalie Portman

5. The Ice-queen: This is a mainly female type whose natural style is cold and defensive. She 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. Celebrities: Victoria Beckham, Debra Barr (The Apprentice)

6. The Playboy: This man is the active, self-confident, Don Juan-type seducer. He uses his (usually long) glass or bottle as a phallic prop, playing with it suggestively.

He is inclined to be possessive, and can be tactile with his female companions. Celebrity: Russell Brand, David Walliams

7. The Jack the Lad: This “peacock” is conscious of his image and will drink a bottled beer, or cider. Inclined to be confident and arrogant, he can be territorial in his gestures, spreading himself over as much space as possible, for example, pushing the glass well away from himself and leaning back in his chair.

If he’s drinking with his mates, he would be unlikely to welcome approaches from outside the group, unless sycophantic and ego-enhancing. Celebrities: Jason Statham. The “ladette” (e.g. Lily Allen) is a female approximation to this male archetype.

8.  The Browbeater: This rather pugnacious type is again mostly 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.

Something of a know-it-all, he comes across as slightly hostile, even if only through verbal argument, or jokes targeted at others. He should be approached with great care, or not at all. Celebrities: John Prescott, Russell Crowe (with Naomi Campbell as a female equivalent).

Dr. Wilson explains: “The simple act of holding a drink displays a lot more about us than we realise – or might want to divulge. When Hillary Clinton was on the campaign trail, commentators picked up on the fact that she used her left hand to raise a pint, even though she’s right-handed – she might just have been posing for a shot, but some people suggested that it was an insincere gesture.

“The next time you’re in a bar, it might be worth thinking about what you’re saying to the people around you, just by the way you’re holding your glass.”

-ends-

Notes to editors:

Drinkers were observed in bars during April 2009.

* The Interpersonal Circle is a model for conceptualizing, organizing, and assessing interpersonal behavior, traits, and motives (Wiggins, 2003).

The interpersonal circumplex is defined by two orthogonal axes: a vertical axis (of status, dominance, power, or control) and a horizontal axis (of solidarity, friendliness, warmth, or love). In recent years, it has become conventional to identify the vertical and horizontal axes with the broad constructs of agency and communion (Horowitz, 2004). Thus, each point in the interpersonal circumplex space can be specified as a weighted combination of agency and communion.