Holiday Survival Guide: How to talk about scientific studies around the dinner table

Does a little alcohol really make you speak a foreign language better? This week we unpack a quirky randomized trial that tested Dutch pronunciation after a modest buzz—and came to the opposite conclusion the researchers expected. We use it as the perfect holiday case study: instead of arguing with Uncle Joe at the dinner table, we’ll show you how to pull apart a scientific headline using a friendly, practical checklist anyone can learn. Along the way we stress-test the study’s claims, take a quick detour into what a .04% buzz actually looks like, and run our own before-and-after experiment with two brave science journalists at the ScienceWriters2025 conference in Chicago. A holiday survival guide with vodka tonics, statistical sleuthing, and a few surprisingly smooth French phrases.
Statistical topics
• Alternative explanations
• Arithmetic consistency / GRIM test
• Blinding
• Effect size / magnitude
• Generalizability / external validity
• Observational studies vs. experiments
• Outcome measurement
• PICOT framework
• Placebo and expectancy effects
• Primary outcomes / pre-specification
• Randomized controlled trials
• Research hypotheses
• Sample size
• SMART framework
• Statistical significance (signal vs. noise)
• Transparency and trustworthiness

Methodological morals
• “​​You don't need a PhD to read a study. Just remember, PICOT and SMART.”
• “A decimal point can mean the difference between life and death. Details matter.”
References
• Renner F, Kersbergen I, Field M, Werthmann J. Dutch courage?Effects of acute alcohol consumption on self-ratings and observer ratings of foreign language skills (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29043911). J Psychopharmacol. 2018;32(1):116-122. doi:10.1177/0269881117735687

Kristin and Regina’s online courses:

Demystifying Data: A Modern Approach to Statistical Understanding (online.stanford.edu/courses/som-xche0033-demys…)
Clinical Trials: Design, Strategy, and Analysis (online.stanford.edu/courses/som-xche0030-clini…)
Medical Statistics Certificate Program (online.stanford.edu/programs/medical-statistic…)
Writing in the Sciences (coursera.org/learn/sciwrite)
Epidemiology and Clinical Research Graduate Certificate Program (online.stanford.edu/programs/epidemiology-and-…)
Programs that we teach in:
Epidemiology and Clinical Research Graduate Certificate Program (online.stanford.edu/programs/epidemiology-and-…)

Find us on:
Kristin - LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/kristin-sainani-642b5914) &Twitter/X (x.com/KristinSainani)
Regina -LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/reginanuzzo) &reginanuzzo.com/ReginaNuzzo.com (reginanuzzo.com)

• (00:00) - Intro

• (03:30) - Uncle Joe and the question of alcohol

• (07:20) - Randomized controlled trial

• (10:10) - PICOT mnemonic

• (15:43) - Just how drunk?

• (21:41) - Boring non-placeb

• (32:29) - Kristin’s SMART mnemonic

• (38:15) - How big of an effect?

• (49:29) - Two science journalists walk into a bar

• (55:43) - Martini scale and wrap-up