Sayer Ji from GreenMedInfo put together fascinating literature revealing that Tylenol, or acetaminophen, does more than relieve pain; it also dulls emotions! This drug has been on the market since 1953 and we're still learning more about its effects. Is this some kind of clue that the drugs we use in clinical practice are for the most part studied for their beneficial effects, and not what we call "side effects?"
He reports in literature published in Psychology Science that participants were put in a placebo controlled, double blinded study, where they were evaluated 1 hour after taking Tylenol for their emotional reactions to photos depicting positive and negative events to measure the intensity of their responses. The researchers found that Tylenol blunted emotional responses to both positive and negative events.
