Paracetamol can reduce empathy for others

About half of all Americans take painkillers every week, and the number is growing fast. Half of these over-the-counter pain medications, such as Tylenol, contain a substance called acetaminophen (paracetamol). A new study shows that acetaminophen limits the positive empathy a person has for others while they’re taking it.

The study is important because taking the drug would incline people to be less caring and to see the world divided between the fully human (those that agree with, or are like, us) and less than human (perceived minorities who are different to us).

What the researchers say: In the study, 114 participants were either given 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen (about one quarter of the daily recommended dose) or an inert placebo. The experiment was conducted double blind—neither the study coordinators nor the participants were aware if they were being given acetaminophen or the placebo.

After an hour, participants looked at four scenarios describing two men and women having a positive experience. While looking at each scenario, participants rated how positive they felt the scenarios were, how much pleasure they thought those in the scenario were experiencing, how much pleasure participants themselves were experiencing while reading these scenarios, and how much empathy they had for people in the scenario.

The study found that while the acetaminophen reduced personal pleasure and empathic feelings, it had no effect on perceptions of other people’s pleasure or positivity.

“I’m still surprised about the striking psychological effects of such a common painkiller such as acetaminophen,” the lead author said. “However, based on previous research we expect acetaminophen not only to reduce empathy for pain but also empathy for pleasure. It is nice that it came out that way.”

This is not the first time that the researchers have looked at acetaminophen and its effects. In 2016 the lead author led a study “to test how pharmacologically reducing pain responsiveness (via acetaminophen) also reduces responsiveness to the pain of others,”he said.

During the previous study participants responded to written scenarios about somebody in physical or emotional pain. The current study was aimed at expanding on the previous findings. These expanded results are important when it comes to fully understanding the effects of acetaminophen.

So, what? There are three important issues here:

Firstly, how have we come to create a society that we have to retreat from through an incredible over-use of painkillers?

Secondly, why is it that pharmaceutical researchers are allowed to ignore the psychosocial side-effects of their compounds?

Finally, for how long have the makers of Tylenol and similar brands known about the drug’s anti-social side-effects?