Britons are happiest when drinking beer and at the pub, claims study

We're fairly easy to please

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Drinking beer and sitting in the pub has been scientifically proven to make the British public feel good.

You don’t say?

It turns out that a key ingredient used to brew beer stimulates dopamine production in the brain, a German study has found.

Malted barley - used to brew most beers - is rich in hordenine, which activates a desire to consume food and drink out of pleasure, rather than hunger.

Subsequently, this triggers dopamine receptors in the brain which make us feel happy.

This is why it can sometimes feel insatiably tricky to say no to a second drink, or step away from the cookie jar; it’s not greediness, it’s science.

In fact, it even has a name: hedonic hunger.

Researchers at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Bavaria looked at 13,000 food components in order to get their results, which came as a shock to lead author Professor Monika Pischetsrieder, reports Science Daily.

'It came as a bit of surprise that a substance in beer activates the dopamine D2 receptor, especially as we were not specifically looking at stimulant foodstuffs,' she said.

Meanwhile, a poll of 2,000 Britons found that they were also happiest when at the pub. No, really.

However, this study was conducted by Tribute Cornish pale ale, so it’s hardly surprising that their findings would drive people to the place where people can drink their beer - and be happy, remember.

They found that Brits favoured visiting their local watering hole over going to the park and going shopping.

The glorified pub was also unveiled as the most likely place for Brits to catch up with friends, over restaurants and the cafes.

Pass us a pint and plop us in the local.