According to a 2020 study evaluating changes in people’s behavior while under the influence of over-the-counter drugs, acetaminophen, one of the world’s most widely used pharmaceutical active ingredients, also known as ‘paracetamol’, sold under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, may encourage people to exhibit objectionable behaviors.
“Acetaminophen makes people feel less negative emotions when they think about risky activities—they don’t feel fear,” says neuroscientist Baldwin Way of Ohio State University. that it may have effects. According to research, acetaminophen, which is used as a pain reliever, also affects psychology, blunting people’s sensitivity to hurt feelings and their sense of empathy.
Those who use drugs containing acetaminophen have less anxiety and anxiety than those who do not use it.
In experiments involving more than 500 college students, Way and his team measured how a single dose of acetaminophen, the recommended adult dose of 1000 mg, randomly given to participants, affected risk-taking behavior compared to randomly given placebos to a control group. In each experiment, participants were asked to inflate an uninflated balloon on a computer screen with a pump, and at each pump the participants earned fictitious money. The participants, whose task was to make as much imaginary money as possible by inflating the balloon as much as possible, had to make sure that the balloon did not burst; because bursting the bubble meant that all the money they earned was the way.
The results showed that students who took acetaminophen took significantly more risks during the experiment than the more cautious placebo group. In general, those who used acetaminophen inflated and popped their balloons more than they should. Regarding this, Way said, “If you’re a risk-averse person, you pump a few times and then you take your money and leave because you don’t want to burst the bubble and lose all your money. However, we believe that those who use acetaminophen feel less anxiety and negative feelings about the larger the balloon, the larger the balloon and the likelihood of it bursting. “He said.
In addition to this experiment, participants filled out questionnaires and rated the level of risk they perceived in various hypothetical scenarios, such as betting a day’s income at a sporting event, bungee jumping from a high bridge, or driving a car without a seat belt. In one of the questionnaires, it was seen that consumption of acetaminophen decreased the perceived risk compared to the control group; The same effect was not observed in another similar survey.
The team believes that more research needs to be done on this topic.
Overall, based on the average results across various tests, it can be concluded that there is a significant association between taking acetaminophen and taking more risks, even if the observed effect is mild. However, the research team also acknowledges the idea that the drug’s pronounced effects on risk-taking may also be explained through other psychological processes, such as reduced anxiety. “As the balloon size gets bigger, those on the placebo may feel an increasing amount of anxiety about a potential explosion,” the team said. Acetaminophen can reduce this anxiety, thereby leading to more risk taking. ‘ he explains.
Noting that the search for such psychological alternative explanations for this phenomenon, as well as the biological mechanisms responsible for acetaminophen’s effects on people’s choices in such situations, should be addressed in future research, the team said: We need more research. ‘ he also states.
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