One of the most consumed medicines in the US – and Most commonly painkillers worldwide – You may do much more than just curb your headache.
aCetaminophene, also known as paracetamol, is widely sold under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, can also increase risk taking, according to a 2020 study that measured changes in people’s behavior when they are under the influence of common over-the-counter drugs.
“Acetaminophen seems to make people feel negative emotions when it comes to dangerous activities. They just don’t feel scared.” I explained it Baldwinway, a neuroscientist at Ohio State University, was released with the findings.
“As almost 25% of the US population take acetaminophen every week, reduced risk awareness and increased risk take can have a significant impact on society.”
The findings add to an increasing number of studies suggesting that the effects of acetaminophen on pain relief also extend to various psychological processes and decline in people Receptiveness that hurts emotions,experience I reduced empathyand more Blunt cognitive function.
IIn a similar way, this study suggests that the emotional ability of people to recognize and assess risk can be potentially altered or impaired when taking acetaminophen.
Although the effect may be slight, it should be considered hypothetical for now, acetaminophen is The most common drug ingredients in the United Statesfound in over 600 different over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
In a series of experiments involving over 500 university students as participants, Way and his team measured how a single 1,000 mg dose of acetaminophen (a single recommended maximum adult dose) was randomly assigned to risk-taking behavior compared to placebos randomly given to control groups.
In each experiment, participants had to pump balloons that were not inflated to the computer screen. Each single pump was making imaginary money.
Their instructions were to make as much imaginary money as possible by pumping balloons as possible, but to avoid popping balloons. In that case, they lose the money.
Results showed that students taking acetaminophen were significantly engaged in risk-taking during exercise compared to the more cautious and conservative placebo group. Overall, the acetaminophen people pumped (and burst) balloons more than controls.
“If you’re going to avoid the risk, you can pump it a few times and then decide to cash out because you don’t want to burst the balloon and lose money.” The method said.
“However, as balloons grow larger, I believe that for people taking acetaminophen, there is less anxiety and less negative emotions about the size of the balloon and the likelihood it will burst.”
In addition to balloon simulations, participants completed the survey during two experiments and assessed the level of risk perceived in various virtual scenarios, including betting daily income at a sporting event, jumping off a tall bridge, and driving without a seatbelt.
In one study, acetaminophen consumption appeared to reduce the risk of perceived compared to the control group, but in another similar study, no same effect was observed.
Although such experiments do not necessarily reflect how acetaminophen affects people in real scenarios based on the average results of various tests, the team concluded that there is an important relationship between taking acetaminophen and choosing more risk, even when the observed effects appear slightly.
However, researchers acknowledged that obvious effects on risk-taking behavior can be interpreted through other types of psychological processes, possibly reducing anxiety.
“As balloon size increases, placebo people may feel that the amount of anxiety about potential bursts is increasing.” The researchers explained.
“If anxiety gets too big, they finish the exam. Acetaminophen can reduce this anxiety and therefore lead to greater risks.”
Investigating such psychological alternative explanations of this phenomenon and examining the biological mechanisms responsible for the influence of acetaminophen on people’s choice in these situations should be addressed in future research, the team said.
Despite the potential impact of acetaminophen on people’s risk perception, this drug is still one of the most important and highly used drugs in the world, Essential Medicine by the World Health OrganizationEven if there are other questions left.
“More research is needed about the impacts of acetaminophen and other over-the-counter drugs on the selection and risks we take.” The method said.
The survey results were reported in Social cognitive and emotional neuroscience.
An earlier version of this article was released in September 2020.
Subsequent commentary, published in 2021, highlighted some criticism of the original research and its interpretation in the media.
This article has been updated to better reflect the hypothetical nature of the research and its findings. For more information, please see Please see here.
