Researches believe that alcoholism may be more likely in a particular type of person based off of a genetic trait. People with blue eyes are more susceptible to having the substance abuse issue, according to a new report from the University of Vermont.
There are more alcohol-dependent European Americans with light-colored eyes, in the study described as ones green, gray, and light brown in the center, than European American alcoholics with dark brown eyes. Out of the light-eyed demographic, the strongest correlation was in blue-eyed people.
"We still don't know the reason," researcher Dawei Li explained in a press release from the University of Vermont. However, he did say that the genes that are passed down and determine eye color are the same ones that scientists have proven are linked to substance abuse and dependency issues.
The researchers looked at data from more than 1,200 European Americans, but, according to RT.com, a lot of the base information came from a "huge" database of over 10,000 Americans.
Past studies have hinted that eye color can explain many attributes about a person.
Medical Daily explains that pain tolerance is also linked to the color of the "windows" to your soul:
"One study... found that out of 58 women, those with light-colored eyes seemed to experience less pain when giving birth compared to those with dark-colored eyes. Not only did women with light-colored eyes experience less physical pain, but they also reportedly had less anxiety, depression, and negative thoughts."
A different study back in 2000 found that women with dark eyes consumed, on average, 4.91 alcoholic beverages over a 30-day span. In that same time period, light-eyed females consumed 5.78 drinks.
One breakthrough that the newer study might lead to is how medical professionals diagnose alcoholism.
"This suggests an intriguing possibility-that eye color can be useful in the clinic for alcohol dependence diagnosis," Arvis Sulovari, the lead researcher of the study, said.
