Turns out, it’s not just the booze. It’s also your brain.

A British researcher may have unlocked the mystery of the effect known in unsubtle circles as “beer goggles” – the idea that the more you have to drink, the more attractive those around you become.

Professor Lewis Halsey tested the theory during a few “very long days” at a local pub near his office at Roehampton University.

Halsey and two colleagues interviewed students, some of whom had been drinking, some of whom were sober. They divided the group with a breathalyzer.

Then the participants were asked to take two tests.

In the first, two photos of the same person were supplied. One was natural. The other was subtly altered to make their face less symmetrical. Symmetry is one of the keys to perceived beauty. Respondents were asked which photo they preferred.

In the second test, more altered photos were supplied. The pub-goers were asked to rate the attractiveness of those.

Halsey found that as we drink, we lose our ability to perceive asymmetry. Essentially, the drunker you get, the more attractive everyone around you gets.

“All people have some asymmetry,” said Halsey. “Therefore they’re all going to tend to look more symmetrical to people who are drunk, because they can’t see the asymmetry, and therefore they’re going to tend to look a little bit more attractive.”

Which is cautious, responsible researcher-speak for, “Bottoms up.”

In fact, the more asymmetrical (i.e. less attractive) you are, the more the effect is heightened in those who are inebriated around you.

Even more good news (depending on your gender): The “beer goggles” effect is heightened in women.

“When the men got drunk their ability to discern deteriorated less than the ability in women,” said Halsey. “The working hypothesis there is that men are more stimulated visually than women are, that it’s of more importance to them.”

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Another translation from cautious, research-speak: Men leer.

Leering now officially has one evolutionary advantage.