ChapTER 5 Body Rhythms and Mental States 179they thought they were drinking vodka than when
they thought they were drinking plain tonic water,
regardless of the actual content of the drinks. And
both sexes reported feeling sexually aroused when
they thought they were drinking vodka, whether
or not they actually got vodka (Abrams & Wilson,
1983; Marlatt & Rohsenow, 1980).
Expectations and beliefs about drugs are, in
turn, shaped by the culture in which you live. The
belief that alcohol “releases” anger and aggres-
sion, for example, often justifies drunken acts of
violence, but alcohol alone doesn’t cause them;
the link weakens when people believe they will
be held responsible for their actions while drunk
(Critchlow, 1983). In the nineteenth century,
Americans regarded marijuana as a mild sedative.
They did not expect it to give them a high, and
it didn’t; it put them to sleep. Today, motives for
using marijuana have changed, and these changes
have affected how people respond to it.None of this means that alcohol and other
drugs are merely placebos. Psychoactive drugs, as
we have seen, have physiological effects, many of
them extremely potent. But by understanding the
psychological factors involved in drug use, we can
think more critically about the ongoing debate
over which drugs, if any, should be legal.the drinkers became depressed, angry, confused,
and unfriendly. Then it dawned on the research-
ers that anyone might become depressed, angry,
confused, and unfriendly if asked to drink bour-
bon at 9:00 a.m. in a bleak hospital room, which
was the setting for the experiment (Warren &
Raynes, 1972).
4
Mental set refers to a person’s expectations
about the drug’s effects and reasons for using
it. Some people drink to become more sociable,
friendly, or seductive; some drink to try to reduce
feelings of anxiety or depression; and some drink
to have an excuse for abusiveness or violence.
Addicts use drugs to escape from the real world;
people living with chronic pain may use the same
drugs to function in the real world. The motives
for taking a drug greatly influence its effects.
Expectations can sometimes have a more pow-
erful effect than the chemical properties of the
drug itself. In several imaginative studies, research-
ers compared people who were drinking liquor
(vodka and tonic) with those who thought they
were drinking liquor but were actually getting
only tonic and lime juice. (Vodka has a subtle taste,
and most people could not tell the real and phony
drinks apart.) The experimenters found a “think–
drink” effect: Men behaved more belligerently when
Recite & Review
Recite: Say aloud everything you can about psychoactive drugs (stimulants, depressants,
opiates, psychedelics, marijuana), the effects of drugs on the brain, withdrawal, tolerance, and
psychological influences on drug reactions.
Review: Next, reread this section.Now take this Quick Quiz:
A. Name the following:- Three stimulants used illegally
- Two drugs that interfere with the formation of new long-term memories
- Three types of depressant drugs
- A legal recreational drug that acts as a depressant in the central nervous system
- Four factors that influence a person’s reactions to a psychoactive drug
B. A bodybuilder who has been taking anabolic steroids says the drugs make him more aggres-
sive. What are some other possible interpretations?
Answers:
Study and Review at MyPsychLabbarbiturates, tranquilizers, and alcohol3. marijuana and alcohol2. cocaine, amphetamines, and methamphetamine1. A.prior experience with the drug; the person’s physical, emotional, and personality traits; the person’s mental set; 5. alcohol4.The bodybuilder’s increased aggressiveness could be due to his expectations (a placebo B. and the environmental settingeffect); bodybuilding itself may increase aggressiveness; the culture of the bodybuilding gym may encourage aggressiveness;other influences in his life or other drugs he is taking may be making him more aggressive; or he may only think he is moreaggressive, and his behavior may contradict his self-perceptions.