Sex-Deprived Male Fruit Flies Turn to Alcohol: Study

Power of rejection transforms fruit flies into barflies

Male fruit flies turned to alcohol and hit the bottle hard from being repeatedly deprived of sex by females, according to a new study.

Fruit flies apparently dealt with their frustrations and defeats in much the same way that humans do, researchers reported in the journal Science.

β€œI think it’s a pretty good bet that it will translate to humans,” Ulrike Heberlein of the University of California, head of the research team, told The Associated Press. If that is true, β€œone can say we could now understand why a negative experience, such as sexual rejection, could drive somebody to drink.”

In the study, thousands of aroused male fruit flies were essentially teased when they were placed into a glass tube for three-hour long sessions, for four consecutive days, with females who were by no means interested in giving it up, according to the AP.

After enough rejection, the sex-deprived male flies consistently preferred food spiked with alcohol more than the male flies that were able to fulfill their sexual desire and mate.

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