For time eternal, musicians, writers and artists have had a special relationship with booze. Alcoholism does have a genetic component, but new research indicates something else may be responsible for the drunken antics of your favorite rock stars: knocking back a few makes people more creative.

Psychologists at the University of Illinois say that while tipsy people may have a bit more trouble focusing on a task at hand, it also makes them more likely to come up with innovative ideas — which could explain why so many Silicon Valley start-ups keep beer and wine alongside the snacks in employee break rooms.

The three-martini lunches glorified on ‘Mad Men’ might have gone the way of the dinosaur for a different reason, though: experiments conducted by researchers at the Wharton Business School found that many Americans think people who drink — even moderately — are more stupid when doing so, something the professors rather hilariously call the “imbibing idiot bias.” (Research aside, we think that would make an awesome garage band name.)

Obviously, some jobs aren’t suited for alcohol consumption, but if you’re ever caught with booze on your breath at work, now you can just tell the boss you were trying out a new path to creativity. Science — keeping people drunk for decades.

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