Mary Poppins or Mr Hyde, what type of drunk are you?

Psychologists have divided people into four categories

Some people became Mary Poppins-like when drunk, scientists find (Everett Collection/REX)

If you’ve ever wondered why a few tipples reduce your usually shy friend into a giggling wreck while you remain reasonably composed, psychologists may have the answer.

Scientists have separated the characteristics that people broadly show when they’re drunk into four categories: Ernest Hemingway, Mary Poppins, Mr Hyde, and The Nutty Professor.

Most people who took part in the study fell into the “Hemingway” group, and did not change drastically when drunk.

Ernest Hemingway said he could "drink hells any amount of whiskey without getting drunk" (Image: AFP/Getty) (AFP/Getty Images)

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Those who took after “practically perfect” fictional nanny Mary Poppins were highly agreeable when sober, and became more extraverted when drunk.

“The Mary Poppins group of drinkers essentially captures the sweet, responsible drinkers who experience fewer alcohol-related problems,” researchers said, according to The Times.

Some drinkers became "Mr Hyde" types, and were hostile and disagreeable (Image: Creative Commons) (Creative Commons)

Types who were identified with Mr Hyde, however, were transformed into hostile characters.

This group was “particularly less responsible, less intellectual, and more hostile when under the influence of alcohol," according to researchers.

Those who took after the Nutty Professor became more outgoing after a drink (Image: Rex) (Courtesy Everett Collection/REX)

Those who fell into the Nutty Professor category were the most shy when sober, and experienced the biggest boost in extraversion when drunk and became less conscientious.

To make their findings, researchers from the University of Missouri-Columbia asked over 360 participants – equally split between men and women – to take a personality test twice: once when they were sober, and once when drunk.

Researchers behind the study published in the ‘Addiction Research’ and Theory journal found that almost a quarter of participants were Mr Hydes, while four in ten were Hemingways.