Tylenol blunts emotions, study suggests

Recent research suggests the recommended-for-adults dose of the popular pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol) also blunts emotions, positive and negative.

In a randomized, controlled trial, 85 people took 1,000 milligrams of Tylenol or a placebo. After one hour, researchers showed them a selection of 40 images in random order. They ranged from the extremely pleasant (children laughing in a park with kittens, for example) to neutral (a rolling pin on a table) to extremely unpleasant (an overflowing toilet). The study appears online in Psychological Science.

Compared with those who took the placebo, those who took Tylenol were about 20 percent less likely to rate images as extremely pleasant and 10 percent less likely to rate them extremely unpleasant.

Although the mechanisms remain unclear, earlier research suggests that Tylenol reduces pain by acting on the insula, a part of the brain that, among other functions, influences social emotions.

"We don't want to make any recommendations concerning acetaminophen use," said the lead author, Geoffrey R.O. Durso, a doctoral student in psychology at The Ohio State University. "These are modest differences in a very controlled setting. We recommend following the advice of your doctor with regard to managing pain with Tylenol."

According to the Tylenol website, the dose recommended for adults is 1,000 mg every six hours.

ActiveStyle on 05/25/2015

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