Social lubricant

A social lubricant is any food, beverage, drug, or activity that stimulates social interactions or helps people feel more comfortable in social occasions.^[1] Different cultures use different social lubricants for this purpose. Some common social lubricants are:

• Humor^[2]
• Music^[3]
• Alcoholic beverages (beer in pub culture, or wine in wine bars, for example)^[4]
• Coffee (in coffee cultures, for example)^{[citation needed]}
• Tea (at tea parties, for example)^{[citation needed]}
• Tobacco (in cigarettes or a hookah, for example)^{[citation needed]}
• Cannabis ^{[citation needed]}
• Small talk (informal discourse or conversation, for example)^{[citation needed]}
• Campfires and bonfires^{[citation needed]}

People drinking alcohol at a pub in Brighton, England

Social lubricant is sometimes used as a euphemism for a bribe or other improper payment.^[5]

Referring to alcohol or cannabis as social lubricants has been criticized because they have negative effects on empathy. Alcohol has the potential to increase aggression and cause disputes or violence.^[6]

See also

• Icebreaker (facilitation)