October 26, 2025, 7:02 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Almost everyone has experienced this: You go out for drinks with friends, the evening gets out of hand, and the next day you pay the price with a hangover. Interestingly, some people seem to have milder hangovers or none at all. There are several explanations.
Some People Don’t Get Hangovers at All
For many, alcohol is simply part of social gatherings with friends. It’s that extra beer or glass of wine that leads to the dreaded hangover the next day. The range of unpleasant hangover symptoms is broad, from headaches and dizziness to nausea and vomiting. Not everyone is affected equally, even if they’ve drunk the same amount or less than their friends. So why do some people react less to alcohol and rarely or never get hangovers?
British psychology lecturer Craig Gunn from the University of Bristol outlines several reasons in an article for the science portal “The Conversation” why people metabolize alcohol differently. These factors also determine whether one develops a severe or mild hangover after excessive drinking. A Canadian study from 2021 even suggests that a small percentage of the population (about five percent) doesn’t get hangovers at all, even when they drink excessively.1
Not Just the Amount of Alcohol, but Also Genetics
The most obvious reason would be that people consume different amounts of alcohol. But it’s not that simple. Genetics also plays a role. Researchers at the University of California studied how sensitive Americans of Asian descent are to alcohol. Participants with a gene mutation in the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH-2) developed more severe hangovers than those without this mutation.2
The reason is simple: ALDH-2 is one of the enzymes that help break down alcohol in the body. If there’s a mutation in the gene, alcohol is metabolized less efficiently, leading to more severe side effects. That’s why Asians with this gene mutation generally drink less alcohol and have a lower risk of developing alcohol addiction.
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Hangovers Become Less Frequent with Age
Interestingly, gender and age also seem to play a role in whether and how severe a hangover is. This was found in an online survey of 761 Dutch participants.3 The respondents were between 18 and 94 years old, with 61.6 percent being female. The data analysis showed that young adults drink more than older adults, and men drink more than women. It’s not surprising that men aged 18 to 25 were more frequently and severely hungover than women. However, it wasn’t just the amount of alcohol that played a role. The study couldn’t determine what other factors were involved.
Researchers found that as people age, the severity of hangovers decreases—even when the amount of alcohol consumed is taken into account. However, the study does not explain why this is the case.
Frequent Hangovers Lead to More Severe Symptoms
Besides age and gender, individual experience with hangovers also seems to play a role. A recent study shows that people who frequently suffer from hangovers experience them more intensely—regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed.
Researchers from Utrecht University analyzed data from five studies with a total of 924 participants, including men and women of different ages.4 They considered factors such as gender, age, and average weekly alcohol consumption. The result: There is a clear positive correlation between the frequency and severity of hangovers. People who regularly experience hangovers tend to report more severe symptoms—such as greater fatigue, nausea, and concentration problems.
The researchers refer to a possible “reverse tolerance”: Instead of the body getting “used to” repeated hangovers, it becomes more sensitive over time. This contradicts the widespread belief that frequent drinking leads to “toughening up.”
Psychology and Personality Traits Also Play a Role
Finally, mental state and personality traits also seem to influence how severe a hangover is or is perceived. Psychological traits such as anxiety, depression, or stress levels play a role, as Craig Gunn explains in his article for “The Conversation.” There are also indications that neurotic individuals are more likely to develop hangovers.5 This also applies to those who feel guilty after drinking, are angry, depressed, or stressed.6
All these moods are associated with a pessimistic outlook on life and a tendency to interpret the world negatively, Gunn explains. A hangover can amplify this negative bias, causing some people to feel worse than others who also have a hangover but maintain a generally positive outlook.
Ultimately, it also depends on what coping strategies people have. Those who are more sensitive to pain may focus more on their discomfort, potentially perceiving hangover symptoms more acutely and even intensifying them. Conversely, people who tend to ignore or deny their problems may perceive a hangover as less painful.