Alcoholics process emotional information differently than non-alcoholics and other psychiatric populations. In experiments using socially-relevant stimuli that express emotion, such as speech tone (Monnot et al., 2001, Uekermann et al., 2005), written words (Clark et al., 2007) and facial expression (Philippot et al., 1999), alcoholic’s have shown slower reactions and responses, mislabeling of emotions (Frigerio et al., 2002) and overrating emotional intensity (Oscar-Berman et al., 1990), especially negative emotions such as fear, anger, disgust and contempt (Townshend and Duka, 2003). It is not clear to what degree these characteristics reflect the predisposition to problem drinking vs. a result of excessive drinking. These phenomena may contribute to the interpersonal conflict that characterizes alcoholics. Misinterpreting an emotional signal can affect an individual’s motivation for approach, avoidance, and aggression, and may negatively impact the success of interpersonal interactions, which are crucial for successful recovery from alcoholism (Uekermann et al., 2007, Uekermann and Daum, 2008).
