Paracetamol Reduces Feelings Of Empathy

What was missing. We knew about paracetamol –the most sold generic drug in the world– that it increased the risk of suffering a heart attack, stroke or stomach bleeding. Now we know that the ability to put yourself in the shoes of others and feel their pain also diminishes.

Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and it certainly reduces pain, but also empathy. That is, if you take paracetamol you will not feel the pain of others.

Paracetamol makes us more insensitive towards the pain of others

In the event of a headache or joint pain, or an episode of fever, it is common for the doctor to prescribe paracetamol (or for the affected person to decide to take it on their own, since it is an over-the-counter medicine, without a prescription). But it is not as safe a drug as previously thought.

Research by Jennifer Crocker and Baldwin M. Way, from Ohio State University, and Dominik Mischkowski, from the US National Institutes of Health, has proven that one gram of paracetamol is capable of dulling our ability to feel the others’ pain.

Less empathy, less human

It is not an unimportant side effect, because without empathy, coexistence and most of the things that make life a pleasant experience are not possible. Without empathy we are less or not at all human.

To test the effects of paracetamol, the scientists administered the drug to a group of 40 students and another equally large group was given a placebo.

An hour later the students were asked to read 8 short stories in which someone suffered a painful experience, for example, a physical injury or the loss of a loved one.

They were then asked to rate on a scale how great the pain experienced by the characters in the stories.

The results showed that the students who scored the lowest for this suffering were those who had taken paracetamol.

In another study, the same researchers from the University of Ohio, made 114 students see a video where an athlete was expelled from a team, and those who took paracetamol scored lower the pain caused by social exclusion.

Finally they carried out another test: they were subjected to a very intense and annoying noise, and asked them to rate the annoyance that this noise would cause to other people. Again, those who took paracetamol scored lower for this discomfort.

I do not know why the effect occurs

The worst thing is that science did not know why paracetamol produces this negative effect on a psychological quality such as empathy. Researchers believe that the drug reduces the intensity of emotional responses in general.

The studies have been published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

There are natural alternatives

If you don’t want to take paracetamol, you can ask your doctor for safer alternatives. You can also go for natural alternatives. The natural pain kit is extensive.

• The harpagofito, which is taken in capsule form, is one of the most used natural analgesics musculoskeletal pains chronically.
• Ginseng and turmeric are also preferred choices for their proven anti-inflammatory action.
• Peppermint essential oil is very effective against headaches. Other oils used for this indication are lavender, exotic basil, katafray, and blue eucalyptus.
• If you prefer to drink infusions, some options are birch and ash leaves.
• Evening primrose seed oil, taken in the form of pearls, is also anti-inflammatory and fights stiffness and pain.
• Cayenne pepper is part of the composition of ointments to be applied to the painful area.