Could Acetaminophen Ease Social Anxiety?

Posted on January 2, 2010 in Health & Medicine, Recent Studies

Could a drug designed to reduce physical pain take the edge off social rejection? A study due to be published in Psychological Science says that physical and social pain appear to overlap in the brain. Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, appears to relieve social pain as well as physical ailments.

The researchers studied 62 healthy volunteers who took 1,000 milligrams daily of either acetaminophen or a placebo. Each night, the participants reported how much social pain they experienced. Hurt feelings and social pain decreased over time for the group taking acetaminophen, while the group that took the placebo experienced no change. Researchers concluded that acetaminophen use could decrease self-reported social pain over time.

In a follow-up experiment, 25 healthy volunteers took 2,000 milligrams daily of either acetaminophen or a placebo. After three weeks, the participants played a computer game rigged to create feelings of social rejection. The acetaminophen reduced neural responses to social rejection in brain regions associated with social anxiety.

The researchers cautioned that more studies will follow. Hold off on self-medicating for now: long-term use of acetaminophen has been linked to serious liver damage. Consult your doctor if you are using the medication for anything other than its intended use.