New study suggests common painkiller could lead people to be 'more reckless'
Topics: Drugs, Health, Science, Psychology
Gerrard Kaonga
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Image
Topics: Drugs, Health, Science, Psychology
People may be more open to taking risks after their bodies have been dulled to pain, according to new research.
Thanks to modern medicine, many of us have access to fast-acting pain relief, which can be an absolute lifesaver when dealing with just about all ailments.
From an annoying tooth ache to a sprained ankle, being able to dull the pain can be great in the short term.
However, scientists believe that this dulling of pain can have a similar effect on emotions and decision-making.
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Psychologists from the University of Guelph in Canada conducted a study and found paracetamol reduces the heart rate, an indication of fear, during an dangerous experience.
Researchers said: “This could have important implications for safety: if individuals on paracetamol behave less cautiously in threatening situations, they might be more likely to speed or make other unsafe choices while driving.
“It may be the drug operates by blunting emotional evaluations of painful sensations.
“At the same time, the same mechanism may dull other emotions, including fear.”
For the experiment, the scientists took around 260 men and women and gave them either 1,000 mg of the drug or placebo before taking part in a frightening virtual reality plank walk at extreme heights.
Falling off the plank led to an 80-storey fall from a skyscraper roof. The goal was to walk along the plank as far as possible before returning.
The plank became progressively more unsteady the further the people walked. If they fell, they hit the ground with a flash of white light.
So while the participants aren’t in any actual danger, it is still a somewhat fearful situation to find yourself in.
Significant differences were found between the two groups. Those on acetaminophen or paracetamol took 17 per cent less time to step onto the plank for the first time, walked 23 per cent faster when they were on it, and had a 14 per cent lower increase in heart rate, compared to those on placebo.
Unfortunately, the drug’s precise mechanisms of action to reduce pain are still not fully understood meaning more research is necessary.
But the researchers are confident that pain has both a sensory and emotional component meaning the emotional element has a significant impact on how we perceive pain. In some instances, those that have had certain regions of their brain damaged their attitude towards pain has shifted, even if they can feel it.