A new study claimed that acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol- an over-the-counter drug usually taken to relieve physical pain, can also ease pain of rejection. The study involved 62 students who were split into 2 groups, with one group taking 1000 milligrams of the drug daily for three weeks and the other on placebo.
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In a second experiment, 25 students were administered 2000 milligrams of Tylenol daily for three weeks and their response to social rejection was studied through a computer simulated game. This was a virtual ball-tossing game with two unseen, fictitious players who at first appeared to be sharing the ball but later “rejected” the student by not throwing them the ball. A simultaneous functional MRI taken revealed that students on the drug had reduced neural responses in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula — areas of the brain associated with the emotional response to pain — compared to those on the placebo. Researchers opine that areas of the brain that sense physical and psychological pain overlap, thus allowing drugs that numb one type of pain working on the other.
“When people are snubbed, rejected or dumped, they describe it as feeling hurt, crushed or broken-hearted,” C. Nathan DeWall, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky said. “What these data show is it’s not just a metaphor. There is strong evidence neurobiologically to support that.”
Although initial studies reveal the effect of acetaminophen on numbing social rejection, researchers of the study say that it is too premature for individuals to pop this OTC medication in the hope to overcome their distress, as acetaminophen overuse can result in liver failure, while drinking alcohol and taking the drug increases the risk of overdose.
Article by Snigdha Taduri for Biomed-ME