Drinking Alone Leads to Divorce—In Rodents
Prairie voles love alcohol and form lasting relationships, making them ideal insights into human biology and behavior.
There are more than a thousand kinds of rodents scampering about our planet, but prairie voles are special.
Unlike most, these creatures form monogamous pair bonds, and they also like to drink alcohol, features that make the North American grassland dwellers an interesting comparison to humans. (Related: "Two Prairie Voles Walk Into a Bar... Then Scientists Study Alcohol's Effects on Couples Bonding.")
According to a study published November 17 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry, in fact, prairie vole couples have similar problems as humans when one mate hits the bottle a little too hard.
Among humans, researchers have found that heavy drinking can be rough on relationships, sometimes leading to divorce. One study found that excessive alcohol or drug use
