Which Type Of Drunk Are You?

A Nutty Professor, Mary Poppins, Mr Hyde or an Ernest Hemingway?
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Xavier Arnau via Getty Images

Most of us can attest to the fact most people do not act the same when they're drunk.

But until recently, there had been no scientifically based study that proves this for a fact.

Now, thanks to a study by researchers from the University of Columbia in the U.S., we can safely conclude that there are four types of drunks -- all grouped according to four recognisable archetypes from literature or history.

Type 1: The Ernest Hemingway

This was the largest group, named after the writer who famously said he could drink "hell's any amount of whisky without getting drunk".

So Hemingways do not change much when they're drunk. Sometimes, you can't even tell if they've had one too many.

Type 2: The Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins may be extroverts who get happier and sweeter with more alcohol. They are also said to be responsible drinkers, who experience fewer alcohol-related problems. Which matches how Poppins described herself in the classic 1960s movie as "practically perfect in every way".

However, members of this group also "decrease less than average in conscientiousness, intellect and agreeableness when intoxicated", compared to other groups. They're smart, happy, responsible drunks.

Type 3: The Mr Hyde

According to the study, those in this group are "particularly less responsible, less intellectual and more hostile when under the influence of alcohol than when they are sober" –– the nasty drunks.

They are also defined by "larger than average intoxication-related decreases in conscientiousness, intellect and agreeableness." Similar to Mr Hyde, the dark side of Dr Jekyll -- a fictional character in R.L. Stevenson's famed gothic novella, who was both hostile and dangerous under the influence of Dr Jekyll's transformative potion.

Type 4: The Nutty Professor

These are natural introverts who seem to exhibit an alternative larger-than-life personality when they are drunk -- the same as Eddie Murphy's chemically altered personality in "The Nutty Professor" (and Jerry Lewis' version in the earlier film of the same name).

But happily, although the personality change is dramatic, "this does not appear to be associated with elevated harm -- at least in terms of alcohol-related consequences," the study noted.They get crazy ideas, but they're not malicious or aggressive.

So... which one are you?