As lovers of great hair, great beer, and great science here at Duffy's Brew, this has been a bountiful week! Even though they could be researching boring stuff like cures for cancer, or global warming, or space exploration, some scientists just can't resist plumbing the depths of a frothy mug of beer, and we salute them for it.

There's a lot of great stuff that's been discussed lately, so let's dive right in and see what science has learned recently about everyone's favorite drink.

Craft Beer Drinkers Are Healthy And Responsible

No, really. The fine folks at The Harris Poll recently conducted a lengthy study of craft beer drinkers versus their macrobrew counterparts, and discovered a lot of differences between them - and most of them quite positive for the craft fans.

• Microbrew fans see it as a treat: 73% of craft beer drinkers see beer-drinking as a special occasion, jumping to 80% among 21-35yo drinkers. Depending on the age, 47-60% only drink on weekends.
• Healthy lives, healthy drinking: Over half the microbrew respondents (57%) exercise regularly, and they tend to be more social about it. 40% prefer group exercise.
• Managing responsible drinking: 42% of craft drinkers are aware when they're over indulging, and deliberately drink less. A further third will take time off from drinking entirely. Only 20% will turn to harder stuff when they're not drinking beer.

So, if you're a craft beer lover, you're healthy and responsible. Woot!

Change The Soundtrack, Change The Beer

Here's an oddball study out of Belgium which suggests your choice of drinking establishment really does change your perception of their wares. To be specific, different kinds of music changed how those studied rated beers they drank.

Most of the specific results were kind of unsurprising. Those listening to lighthearted Disney-style soundtracks found their beers to be sweeter, while those hearing music with deep rumbly bass thought the beers more bitter instead. Apparently, people's reactions to the music around them do transfer to their experience of the beer they're drinking!

So the next time you're looking for a venue, or planning a party at your own place, think about your music selections beyond what's trendy. You can make a lot of difference with some clever DJing.

Beer Goggles And You

Finally, The Atlantic offered an awesome collection of recent studies conducted on how being drunk changes people's behavior. It's not all for the good (obviously) but it's not all bad either, with some interesting results. Among the highlights:

• You get more utilitarian when drunk. You know those hypothetical questions about whether you'd deliberately kill one person if it meant definitely saving several other lives? The drunker people are, the more likely they'll say they would pull the trigger.
• Drunks are nicer bystanders. In a little study where they dropped objects in front of bar patrons, those who'd had more to drink were usually faster to offer help in picking them up.
• Beer Goggles confirmed. It's no surprise, but another study has confirmed that being drunk inflates one's opinion of their own attractiveness, as well as the attractiveness of others. The more interesting finding is that being buzzed -but not outright drunk- makes people more attractive to sober onlookers as well.
• Fruity drink marriage counseling. A study of unhappy couples showed that a few cranberry-vodka drinks increased their levels of communication and helped resolve their relationship issues!

Yep, the possibilities for studying people's reactions to alcohol are nearly endless... just like the possibilities for improving your hair with Duffy's Brew Shampoo and Conditioner, while also smelling fantastic. Try a bottle today!