Taking an acetaminophen pill can do more than just ease your pain; it can make you a reckless risk taker, research suggests.
Scientists believe that the numbing effect it has on pain has a similar impact on emotions and decision-making, causing those who use the drug to throw caution to the wind.
Psychologists at the University of Guelph in Canada found that acetaminophen lowers heart rate, a sign of anxiety, during dangerous experiences.
“This could have important safety implications: If individuals who use acetaminophen behave less cautiously in threatening situations, they may be more likely to speed or make other unsafe choices while driving,” they concluded.
“It may be that the drug works by blunting emotional evaluations of painful sensations,” they said.
‘At the same time, the same mechanism can blunt other emotions, including fear.’
About 260 men and women were given 1,000 mg of the drug or a placebo before taking part in a terrifying virtual reality plank walk at extreme heights.
Scientists believe that the numbing effect it has on pain has a similar impact on emotions and decision-making, causing those who use the drug to throw caution to the wind. Pictured: file photo
Psychologists at the University of Guelph in Canada found that acetaminophen lowers heart rate, a sign of anxiety, during dangerous experiences. Pictured: file photo
The plank fall led to an 80-story fall from the roof of a skyscraper. The goal was to walk as far along the plank as possible before returning.
The plank became more and more shaky as people walked further. When they fell, they hit the ground with a flash of white light.
Heart rates increased by more than 30 beats per minute on average and it took 15 seconds for people to be brave enough to step foot on the board. Two people were too scared to do that, and three stopped before they could return.
Significant differences were found between the two groups. Those taking acetaminophen or paracetamol took 17 percent less time to step onto the plank for the first time, walked 23 percent faster when standing on it and had a 14 percent lower heart rate increase compared to those who received placebo.
How the drug could have such an effect is unclear. Despite its popularity, the drug’s precise mechanisms of action to reduce pain are still not fully understood
Pain has both a sensory and emotional component, and the drug has been shown to reduce activity in brain areas related to emotions.
This emotional element has a major impact on how we perceive pain. Previous research has shown that in rare cases people have damage to these brain areas and do not experience pain, even though they still feel it.