Researchers have found that mixing alcohol and energy drinks can increase the risk of injury due to car crashes and fights and the reason may not be what we think it is.

In fact researchers believe that while energy drinks contain caffeine and guarana which are stimulants, these ingredients may not be to blame for the increased risk.

An experiment conducted by a team from INSEAD Business School, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Michigan, revealed that the associations that people have with the popular vodka and Red Bull cocktail can increase perceived intoxication and lead to risky behaviour.

However, these effects are not driven by the ingredients contained in energy drinks but rather people’s perceptions that they are getting more intoxicated when they mix alcohol with energy drinks, so the effect is not physiological but psychological.

Find out more at http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/92586911/energy-drinks-and-alcohol-a-risky-psychological-mix–study