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Drinking alcohol, especially in excess, can have negative effects on people's mental and physical health. However, despite evidence that drinking is not particularly healthy, people still do so, especially in social settings. For social drinkers, alcohol can help them loosen up and make them friendlier. Instead of giving up alcohol completely, researchers from a new study found ways that people can take to drink less.

The study conducted by researchers from Iowa State University and Cornell University examined effective ways that can help people drink less. The researchers focused on wine since wine is often measured differently based on the glass and the person pouring it. According to the researchers, here are four ways to drink less wine:

1. Use Narrow Glasses

In the study, the researchers found that when they gave people wide and narrow glasses for wine, people who used the wide ones ended up pouring 11.9 percent more wine than people who used narrow ones.

2. Keep the Glass on the Table

When pouring out wine, the researchers found that people who held their glasses ended up drinking a serving size that was 12.2 percent larger than when people poured wine into glasses that were on the table. The team theorized that when people held their glasses, their ability to estimate how much wine is in the glass becomes impaired.

3. Let Women Pour

When the researchers compared men and women, they found that men tended to have a heavy hand when pouring wine. Men poured roughly nine percent more wine than women. The researchers also looked into the effects of body mass index (BMI) and drinking. They found that men who had a higher BMI poured more wine than women in general did. Furthermore, men with higher BMI and men with average BMI generally drank more alcohol than women did in general.

4. Choose Red over White

For people who do not have a wine preference, they are better off drinking red wine as opposed to white. According to the researchers, when it came to using the same sized glass, people poured 9.2 percent less red wine than white wine. The team reasoned that the color of the red wine makes the glass look more full whereas the clear white wine can make the glass look empty.

The study, "Big drinkers: How BMI, gender and rules of thumb influence the free pouring of wine," was published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.