Apparently, you don’t even need to sip on an energy drink to get its intoxicating effects. A study conducted by researchers in Canada found that guys who believed their spirit contained an energy drink felt more drunk, daring and sexually confident.

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The team at the UBC Sauder School of Business in Vancouver, Canada, conducted the study to see what effect marketing had on consumer beliefs. They recruited 154 young men with the promise of a vodka, Red Bull and juice cocktail. Some beverages were labeled to emphasize the energy drink, i.e., “vodka-Red Bull,” and others were generically named “vodka cocktail.”

The men then completed tasks on a computer to measure attitudes, behaviors and perceived drunkenness.Turns out guys who knew they were drinking the Red Bull felt more drunk, exhibited a willingness to be riskier and enjoyed a boost in sexual self confidence.

"Red Bull has long used the slogan 'Red Bull gives you wings,' but our study shows that this type of advertising can make people think it has intoxicating qualities when it doesn't," says study co-author Yann Cornil, assistant professor at UBC Sauder, in a statement. "When alcohol is mixed with an energy drink and people are aware of it, they feel like they're more intoxicated simply because the marketing says they should feel that way."

While the beverage maker famously used to proclaim that, “Red Bull gives you wings,” the slogan has not been used since 2014 following a class action lawsuit claiming false advertising.

The researchers note past research says that people who mixed Red Bull and alcohol were more likely to sexually assault someone or experience a car accident. However, the latest research says that combining the two aren’t all bad.

"The silver lining was that emphasizing the energy drink in the cocktail made the participants less likely to drive," says study co-author Aradhna Krishna, marketing professor at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, in a statement. "It seems that drunk-driving education is working enough to make people think hard about driving when they are feeling drunk."

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Prior research has warned against mixing uppers with downers. Last year a study said that mixing energy drinks with alcohol could potentially impact your brain similarly to cocaine. However the study was done in mice so the real-life impact on humans is unknown. The University of New Hampshire cautions people against using Red Bull or other energy drinks as a mixer, saying the combination is actually more addictive. Plus, the pairing can increase heart rate and blood pressure. And if you’re very prone to hangovers, you’ll definitely want to stay away. The two diuretics can leave you very dehydrated and wishing to never have another sip of alcohol again.

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