It’s not exactly a secret that alcohol serves as a social lubricant, lowering inhibitions and coaxing a little more fun out of people who might otherwise be reserved and quiet. But to show just how effective alcohol is in getting folks to lighten up and get goofy, photographer Marco Alberti rounded up a few of his friends and documented their progression after one, two, then three glasses of wine. He chose the number of glasses based on an age-old saying. The series is called “3 Glasses.”
He says, "There is a saying about wine that I really like and it's something like this. The first glass of wine is all about the food, the second glass is about love and the third glass is about mayhem.' I really wanted to see it for myself if that affirmation was in fact true."
\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cp\\u003ETake a look:\\u003C/p\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E1.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\
\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e09bbe69ea80022000188/attachments/FACES1-3d466d97d2756c91d5f113bb347444bd.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003Cdiv class=\\"image-caption\\"\\u003E\\u003Cp\\u003EAll photos by Marcos Alberti, used with permission.\\u003C/p\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\
\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E2.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e09cf51568000160001a2/attachments/FACES2-fcc4f4f3a8bef6c1d71448281b2b5326.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E3.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e09f1515680001c00016d/attachments/FACES3-667d0707d4556ae4cc781f9d21c7a4f2.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E4.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e09fa5156800019000172/attachments/FACES4-4b59347e64527269dafef09e4f2c4aed.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E5.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a2ce69ea8001c000165/attachments/FACES5-33f1493a77ba5955e35c78fe1636826f.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E6.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a36515680001900017a/attachments/FACES19-accf11cb40f5b2139fd0ac4ca29b174e.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E7.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a46515680001f000174/attachments/FACES6-e17d77c293594bf9122268b33d7be8a9.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E8.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a54e69ea80022000198/attachments/FACES18-b0cacd9cabbcba2878c5d7d788ec9a92.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E9.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a65e69ea8001c00016a/attachments/FACES7-b3a4f40e81d82921ea982486c3b4b1a1.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E10.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a72515680001900017e/attachments/FACES17-8ad1b4655bf83d43d3f0d87ff859573c.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E11.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a8851568000160001b8/attachments/FACES15-b93036ded4c642da20a750ff75082418.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E12.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0a98e69ea800190001bc/attachments/FACES16-3cd8347730d725741b87b06a90d3abcb.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E13.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0aa6e69ea8001c000170/attachments/FACES8-c25070fdcadb6c9bc7ce6a05da71826c.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E14.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\
\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0ae8e69ea8001f0001c3/attachments/FACES13-52ef64e6862fb94a8cad5653234dce93.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003Cdiv class=\\"image-caption\\"\\u003E\\u003Cp\\u003E\\u003C/p\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\
\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E15.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0b0451568000160001c3/attachments/FACES9-d1c0aafa191ddf6710c93e4f5c314b50.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E16.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0b205156800019000183/attachments/FACES10-c6a9551deb980585f10d1dc8decab93b.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E17.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0b2ae69ea8001c000175/attachments/FACES12-d85c460cd650486fb23aca7d1c819e03.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E18.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0c8f515680001f000190/attachments/FACES14-d119b15e0432a0854e100674bf47f530.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003E19.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cdiv\\u003E\\u003Cdiv data-reactroot=\\"\\" class=\\"push-wrapper--mobile\\" data-card=\\"image\\"\\u003E\\u003Cimg src=\\"//i.upworthy.com/nugget/582e0b3c5156800021000191/attachments/FACES11-752ccb66ea045a825f1406272d048631.png\\" class=\\"\\"\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003C/div\\u003E\\u003Ch2\\u003EThe Brazilian photographer said he wanted to determine whether three glasses could radically change his subjects' moods.\\u003C/h2\\u003E\\u003Cp\\u003E\\"There is a saying about wine that I really like and it's something like this,\\" he said. \\"'The first glass of wine is all about the food, the second glass is about love and the third glass is about mayhem.' I really wanted to see it for myself if that affirmation was in fact true.\\"\\u003C/p\\u003E","promoted":false,"sponsored":false}">
We don’t quite get to “mayhem” in these pics, but you can tell that’s the trajectory many of these subjects are on.
But after the series went viral on Imgur, Alberti widened the scope of the project, documenting new subjects he wasn’t friends with.
I’m not sure how representative this sample is of the population at large because it looks like the photographer was able to find the happiest drunks on the planet. Not a single tear, fistfight, or insult to be found in this collection.
So while the series might not reflect the realities we’ve born witness to, it’s plenty fun to see the progression in Brady Brunch-style boxes as people tend to cut loose and smile.
This guy seemed to shed a lay of clothing during the progression, which is a nice touch!
...you get idea.
Why can’t these happy, friendly people be the ones we come across when barhopping, rather than the surly drunks with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove?
Ladder leads out of darkness.Photo credit 
Woman's reflection in shadow.Photo credit 
Young woman frazzled.Photo credit 
Robin Williams performs for military men and women as part of a United Service Organization (USO) show on board Camp Phoenix in December 2007
Gif of Robin Williams via
Will your current friends still be with you after seven years?
Professor shares how many years a friendship must last before it'll become lifelong
Think of your best friend. How long have you known them? Growing up, children make friends and say they’ll be best friends forever. That’s where “BFF” came from, for crying out loud. But is the concept of the lifelong friend real? If so, how many years of friendship will have to bloom before a friendship goes the distance? Well, a Dutch study may have the answer to that last question.
Sociologist Gerald Mollenhorst and his team in the Netherlands did extensive research on friendships and made some interesting findings in his surveys and studies. Mollenhorst found that over half of your friendships will “shed” within seven years. However, the relationships that go past the seven-year mark tend to last. This led to the prevailing theory that most friendships lasting more than seven years would endure throughout a person’s lifetime.
In Mollenhorst’s findings, lifelong friendships seem to come down to one thing: reciprocal effort. The primary reason so many friendships form and fade within seven-year cycles has much to do with a person’s ages and life stages. A lot of people lose touch with elementary and high school friends because so many leave home to attend college. Work friends change when someone gets promoted or finds a better job in a different state. Some friends get married and have children, reducing one-on-one time together, and thus a friendship fades. It’s easy to lose friends, but naturally harder to keep them when you’re no longer in proximity.
Some people on Reddit even wonder if lifelong friendships are actually real or just a romanticized thought nowadays. However, older commenters showed that lifelong friendship is still possible:
“I met my friend on the first day of kindergarten. Maybe not the very first day, but within the first week. We were texting each other stupid memes just yesterday. This year we’ll both celebrate our 58th birthdays.”
“My oldest friend and I met when she was just 5 and I was 9. Next-door neighbors. We're now both over 60 and still talk weekly and visit at least twice a year.”
“I’m 55. I’ve just spent a weekend with friends I met 24 and 32 years ago respectively. I’m also still in touch with my penpal in the States. I was 15 when we started writing to each other.”
“My friends (3 of them) go back to my college days in my 20’s that I still talk to a minimum of once a week. I'm in my early 60s now.”
“We ebb and flow. Sometimes many years will pass as we go through different things and phases. Nobody gets buttsore if we aren’t in touch all the time. In our 50s we don’t try and argue or be petty like we did before. But I love them. I don’t need a weekly lunch to know that. I could make a call right now if I needed something. Same with them.”
Maintaining a friendship for life is never guaranteed, but there are ways, psychotherapists say, that can make a friendship last. It’s not easy, but for a friendship to last, both participants need to make room for patience and place greater weight on their similarities than on the differences that may develop over time. Along with that, it’s helpful to be tolerant of large distances and gaps of time between visits, too. It’s not easy, and it requires both people involved to be equally invested to keep the friendship alive and from becoming stagnant.
As tough as it sounds, it is still possible. You may be a fortunate person who can name several friends you’ve kept for over seven years or over seventy years. But if you’re not, every new friendship you make has the same chance and potential of being lifelong.