Một, hai, ba, dzô!
Anyone who’s spent any significant amount of time in Vietnam has likely heard – if not participated in – this celebratory toast. It might be the most iconic salutation in a business culture that really does value sharing a cheeky tipple or two among work colleagues.
But beneath the fun and frivolity of Vietnamese happy hour, recent science has painted a much more, ahem, sobering picture of alcohol consumption’s effects on the brain, and what implications these effects might have for business practitioners.
Drinking alcohol disrupts the brain’s neurotransmitter balance, particularly in the prefrontal cortex: a brain region responsible for planning, reasoning, and problem-solving. This disruption can lead to impaired judgment and a reduced capacity to think critically — which can severely undermine strategic decision-making.
Alcohol’s impact on emotional regulation under pressure is also significant. It dampens the brain’s excitatory signals and enhances its inhibitory signals. Initially, this can create a sense of relaxation, if not euphoria. However, over time, this same neurological effect can degrade and compromise emotional control. For business leaders, who must maintain composure and clear-headedness in stressful situations, such emotional disturbances can sabotage one’s managerial capabilities.
Long-term mental clarity can also be eroded by alcohol consumption. Drinking contributes to the death of neurons, particularly in the hippocampus, a region critically involved in memory and learning. The resulting cognitive deficits can hinder the ability to retain information, adapt to new data, and learn from experiences — all key elements of strong leadership in challenging business environments.
Day-to-day drinking can also significantly interfere with one’s sleep cycles. Alcohol consumption has been shown to increase daytime drowsiness and decrease cognitive alertness. Over time, this effect can cascade into diminished productivity and poor execution, especially under pressure.
To be clear, I am not writing this column from a puritanical, finger-wagging perspective. I’m not suggesting anyone abandon drinking altogether, and given how embedded alcohol consumption is in Vietnamese business culture, that would be extremely wishful thinking even if it were my intention.
But when one considers the totality of the best available scientific research, it is clear that alcohol consumption poses substantial risks to the cognitive and emotional faculties essential for effective leadership. You may have previously heard about studies which suggested that having 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day is actually better for your mind than teetotalling and having none. Such studies, to the degree they were ever scientifically credible, have since been comprehensively debunked and discredited.
Business practitioners would be wise to monitor their alcohol intake, especially around critical periods of decision-making and strategy development, so as to maintain optimal mental clarity, emotional balance, and cognitive function. Reducing alcohol consumption to a more moderate level could well prove to be a strategic game-changer for enhancing one’s leadership competencies and ensuring their long-term business success.
Vietnamese happy hours might not be going anywhere anytime soon, but business leaders who find themselves at one of those Tiger and ice-filled tables might do well to consider the wisdom of “Một, hai, ba… STOP.”. Because stopping at three or less could be just the tonic that your career and your organization need.
