Brokenhearted? Paracetamol May Help

Have you ever wished for a pill to mend your broken heart? Well, it turns out there was one all along. Research at Ohio State University, led by social psychologist, Geoffrey Durso, has suggested that paracetamol might dull emotions.

Paracetamol is one of the most popular over-the counter painkillers. The recent study, published in the journal Psychological Science, suggests that the drug relieves not only physical pain, but also alleviates emotional reactions. Durso explained: “Rather than just being a pain reliever, acetaminophen (paracetamol) can be seen as an all-purpose emotion reliever.”

The study included 82 students that were provided either with paracetamol or with a placebo pill that looks the same. An hour after taking the pill, they were shown 40 photographs ranging from malnourished children to cheerful kids playing with pets. These photos were chosen so as to trigger an acute emotional response. The participants were first asked to rate the images in reference to their positivity on a scale from +5 (the most positive) and -5 (the most negative). Following this, they were shown the series of pictures again and asked to quantify the intensity of their emotions to each picture with 0 meaning little to no reaction and 10 reflecting a very powerful emotion.

The results from the study indicated that those who had taken paracetamol had slightly less intense emotional reactions than those who were on the placebo – both happiness and distress are dulled. Durso intends to extend the research into whether painkillers, such as ibuprofen and aspirin, have the same side-effect.