No pain, no pleasure, less emotion

Could the use of paracetamol be leaving you with less pain and fewer feelings of pleasure or angst? A new study published in Psychological Journal suggests so.

A US research team have compared users of over-the-counter paracetamol with a users of a placebo, and saying that among 82 volunteers in the study, taking a standard 100mg dose, there was evidence that paracetamol may have more uses than we currently see for it.

After waiting 60 minutes for the drug to take effect, the 82 people were asked to rate 40 photographs on whether the image made them feel positive or negative. According to results reported in the Telegraph UK, volunteers who took paracetamol reported weaker feelings when they saw both pleasant and harrowing photographs of people crying, malnourished children, and children playing with kittens.

Research conducted prior to this has shown that the pain killing ingredient has been effective on psychological pain as well as physical pain, but this is an apparent breakthrough.