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It is one of the most widely consumed drugs in the United States. The most commonly used painkillers in the world – It may do more than just relieve headaches.
aCetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and widely sold under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, may also increase risk-taking behavior, according to a 2020 study that measured changes in behavior in people under the influence of this common over-the-counter drug.
“Acetaminophen seems to reduce the negative emotions people have when they think about risky behavior. They feel less scared.” explanation When the study was published, Ohio State University neuroscientist Baldwin Way said:
“Approximately 25% of the U.S. population takes acetaminophen every week, so reduced risk perception and increased risk taking could have significant societal implications.”
This finding suggests that the pain-relieving effects of acetaminophen extend to various psychological processes, Receptivity to and experience of hurt feelings Empathy is reduced, Cognitive decline.
ISimilarly, research suggests that taking acetaminophen may alter or impair your emotional ability to recognize and assess risk.
Although the effect may be small (and is currently considered hypothetical), acetaminophen The most common drug ingredients in AmericaIt’s found in over 600 over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
In a series of experiments involving more than 500 college students, Wei and his team measured how participants were randomly assigned 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen (the maximum recommended single dose for adults) to affect risk-taking behavior, compared with a placebo randomly given to a control group.
In each experiment, participants had to inflate an uninflated balloon on a computer screen, and each inflation earned them a fictitious amount of money.
Their instructions were to inflate the balloon as much as possible to earn as much imaginary money as possible, but to be careful not to let the balloon burst, as this would mean losing all their money.
Results showed that students who took acetaminophen engaged in significantly more risk-taking behaviors while exercising compared with the more cautious and conservative placebo group. Overall, students who took acetaminophen inflated (and popped) more balloons than the control group.
“If you’re risk-averse, you might pump up a few times and then decide to cash out because you don’t want the balloon to burst and lose your money.” Wei said.
“But people taking acetaminophen think that as the balloon gets bigger, they have less anxiety and negative feelings about how big the balloon is going to get and the possibility that it might pop.”
In addition to the balloon simulation, participants completed surveys during both experiments in which they rated the level of perceived risk in a range of hypothetical scenarios, including betting a day’s salary on a sporting event, bungee jumping off a high bridge, and driving a car without a seatbelt.
In one of the studies, taking acetaminophen appeared to reduce perceived risk compared to a control group, but another similar study did not observe the same effect.
While such experiments don’t necessarily reflect how acetaminophen would affect people in real-life scenarios, based on the average results of the various tests, the research team concluded that there was a significant relationship between taking acetaminophen and making higher-risk choices, even if the effects observed were small.
However, the researchers acknowledged that the drug’s apparent effect on risk-taking behavior could also be interpreted through other kinds of psychological processes, perhaps reducing anxiety.
“As the size of the balloon increases, people taking the placebo may become more anxious about the possibility of it bursting.” The researchers explained.
“If anxiety becomes too great, the trial will be stopped. Acetaminophen reduces this anxiety and may lead to greater risk taking.”
The team said exploring such alternative psychological explanations for the phenomenon, as well as investigating the biological mechanisms responsible for the effects of acetaminophen on people’s choices in these situations, should be addressed in future research.
Despite the possible effects of acetaminophen on people’s risk perception, the drug remains one of the most important and frequently used medicines in the world. It is an essential medicine according to the World Health Organization, but other questions remain..
“We need more research into how acetaminophen and other over-the-counter medications affect our choices and our risks.” Wei said.
The survey results are as follows: Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.
An earlier version of this article was published in September 2020.
A subsequent commentary published in 2021 highlighted several criticisms of the original study and its interpretation in the media, drew attention to the limitations of the experimental simulation, and concluded that further research was needed to determine whether acetaminophen use was a “serious hazard to tasks of daily living.”
This article has been updated to better reflect the hypothetical nature of the study and its findings. Read more here.
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