Paracetamol Reduces Negative And Positive Emotions, Study Says
He paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a drug widely used for its properties against pain and fever. As with other medications, its consumption can have unwanted side effects. Until now, it was known, for example, that taking it in high doses negatively affected the liver.
Recent research from Ohio University seems to indicate that the active ingredient acetaminophen, which is also found in other medications, decreases the ability to feel positive and negative emotions.
The study of the relationship between paracetamol and emotions is not something new, previous research found that subjects who took paracetamol for three weeks felt less emotional pain than people who took a placebo. But the new study, published in Psychological Scienceseems to show that this drug also affects positive emotions, not only negative ones.
The study and its results
The research, led by Geoffrey RO Durso, Andrew Luttrell and M. Baldwin, was carried out at Ohio University. Two groups of 41 subjects each were formed. The first group received a 1000 mg dose of acetaminophen and the second group received a placebo (a supposed drug). One hour later (the time necessary for the paracetamol to take effect) they were shown a series of images to elicit negative or positive emotions. These images had been selected to provoke strong emotional reactions. Subjects had to rate from +5 (most positive) to -5 (most negative) their positive or negative perception of the image. After looking at the images and evaluating them the first time, they were presented with the sequence of images again for a second evaluation.
The results revealed that the group that had consumed paracetamol felt less intense emotional reactions to the images, that is, negative images were evaluated as less negative, and positive images were evaluated as less positive.
To rule out that the perception of other qualities of the image (such as color intensity, etc.) had not affected the emotional evaluation, a second study was carried out. The results showed that paracetamol did not alter the visual perception of the image.
It should be mentioned that the difference in the scores of both groups was not very large. The mean scores for the placebo group were 6.76, while those for the group that had taken paracetamol were 5.85.
Other studies in relation to pain and emotions
We already commented in the article “The Phantom Limb: Mirror Box Therapy” that the studies of Ronald Melzack, a researcher and professor of psychology at McGill University in Canada, gave rise to the Neuromatrix Theory This theory attributes the diffusion of pain and its transmission throughout the body to a complex system. Various areas intervene in the system (the central and peripheral nervous system, autonomic nervous system and endocrine system) directly influenced by various psychological, emotional, genetic and social factors.
Another study, carried out by Naomi Eisenberger, a researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), seems to indicate that the physical pain and social pain They are processed in the same brain regions. These brain regions are activated in a similar way when faced with physical pain or social rejection, such as a breakup. Furthermore, people “who are more sensitive to physical pain also tend to be more sensitive to social pain,” concludes the author of the research.
If it is true that paracetamol affects emotions, will other pain relievers such as Aspirin or the Ibuprofen? There will surely be future research along these lines.
