Paracetamol may impact prosocial behavior by reducing empathetic feelings

USA: Paracetamol, also known as acetaminophen, commonly used for the treatment of pain and fever also reduces feelings of positive empathy in users, suggests a recent study in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

The study found that the drug (acetaminophen) blunts physical and social pain by reducing activation in brain areas (i.e. anterior insula and anterior cingulate) which are thought to be related to emotional awareness and motivation. Acetaminophen users experienced less pleasure and empathetic feelings toward the hypothetical characters in comparison with those who had taken a placebo. However, the ability to recognize pleasure and positivity was unaffected.

"Because the experience of positive empathy is related to prosocial behavior, our findings also raise questions about the societal impact of excessive acetaminophen consumption," write the authors.

In the study, 114 participants were either given 1000 milligrams of acetaminophen or an inert placebo. The experiment was conducted double-blind—neither the study coordinators nor the participants were aware if they were being given acetaminophen or the placebo.

After an hour, participants looked at four scenarios describing two men and women having a positive experience. While looking at each scenario participants rated how positive they felt the scenarios were, how much pleasure they thought those in the scenario were experiencing, how much pleasure participants themselves were experiencing while reading these scenarios, and how much empathy they had for people in the scenario.

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Key findings of the study include:

• Relative to placebo, acetaminophen reduced personal pleasure and empathetic feelings.


• Relative to placebo, acetaminophen did not significantly reduce perceived positivity or perceived pleasure.


• Relative to placebo, consuming acetaminophen did not change general positive or negative affect measured 1 hour after drug administration (just prior to reading the empathy scenarios).

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These findings suggest that (1) acetaminophen reduces affective reactivity to other people’s positive experiences and (2) the experience of physical pain and positive empathy may have a more similar neurochemical basis than previously assumed.

"Overall, the present research shows that acetaminophen reduces empathy for the pleasurable experiences of other people. These findings not only constitute an important step forward in our understanding of the effective mechanisms underlying the experience of positive empathy but also raise a concern about the societal impact of excessive acetaminophen consumption," concluded the authors.