Study Claims Acetaminophen Reduces Empathy

This study claims that taking Acetaminophen reduces empathy.

They think it is because the same part of your brain that perceives your physical pain also perceives the pain of others.

The are going to also do the test with Ibuprofen to see if the results are similar.

https://news.osu.edu/news/2016/05/10/empathy-reliever/

 

I think whoever did that study must have much stronger acetaminophen than I have ever taken.

Both acetaminophen and ibuprofen taken together just barely take the edge off when I'm seriously hurting. lol

 

I agree, Lynn!

 

Well it does make sense seeing that pain, and emotions are directly tied together in the nucleus accumbens. Which is in the upper part of the brain. The nucleus accumbens not only regulates pain and pleasure, but is also intertwined with emotion sensors in the brain so dulling those senses could very well dull the emotional pain. Hence why people on certain drugs like pain killers tend to care less who their hurting at a particular time.

 

lol...^ above comment is extremely scholarly......

I need to start taking more aspirin then.......I could use feeling less empathy ....

 

This reminds me about yawning when somebody else yawns. I read that it is considered to be out of empathy BUT kids under the age of 4 don't often yawn when others yawn and it can lessen as we get older. Makes me interested in the age group used for the acetaminophen study.

 

I believe the subjects were college students.

 

I take ibuprofen way more than I should and I still have to avoid the news because sad stories make my heart break in two.

I actually could see this being more accurate with prescription painkillers because these kill physical and emotional pain.

College students should be more.concerned with popping tylenol after a night of drinking, that shit will kill your liver

 

I imagine too much aspirin would to...anything overdone would.....It won't work for me anyway.....nothing will kill my empathy for all living things....I know this.

 

I want them to test Tramadol for that lack of empathy. My husband has been on that for like 15 - 20 years.

 

A lot of dogs yawn when they see you yawning.

 

So will a crow...

 

I wonder if people don't develop a good deal of empathy until they've experienced more life than college students have.

 

Be careful with that.

There are some links at the bottom here that might interest you:
http://www.hipforums.com/forum/topic/475436-nsaid-pain-relievers-and-atrial-fibrillation/

I've had a completely different view regarding tylenol and advil ever since reading that. And my experiences with Ibuprofen...


Interesting post. I'll have to look into these findings. I'm always interested in what effects pharmaceutical medications have on people.

 

I make my dog yawn sometimes lol. Whether by me yawning or it seems like all dogs have this spot... those whiskers right below their jaw? Never fails!