How taking a common painkiller could lead you to be more reckless, new research suggests
How taking a common painkiller could lead you to be more reckless, new research suggests
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Taking a paracetamol pill may do more than soothe your ache – it could turn you into a reckless risk-taker, research suggests. Scientists believe the dulling effect it has on pain has a similar impact on emotions and decision-making, leading those take the drug to throw caution to the wind.
![[Psychologists from the University of Guelph in Canada discovered paracetemol reduces the heart rate, a marker of fear, during dangerous experiences. Pictured: File photo]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/11/23/93999977-14274705-image-a-17_1736637738687.jpg)
Psychologists from the University of Guelph in Canada discovered paracetemol reduces the heart rate, a marker of fear, during dangerous experiences. ‘This could have important implications for safety: if individuals on paracetamol behave less cautiously in threatening situations, they might be more likely to speed or make other unsafe choices while driving,’ they concluded.
‘It may be the drug operates by blunting emotional evaluations of painful sensations,’ they said. ‘At the same time, the same mechanism may dull other emotions, including fear.’. Around 260 men and women were given either 1,000 mg of the drug or placebo before taking part in a frightening virtual reality plank walk at extreme heights.
Scientists believe the dulling effect it has on pain has a similar impact on emotions and decision-making, leading those take the drug to throw caution to the wind. Pictured: File photo. Psychologists from the University of Guelph in Canada discovered paracetemol reduces the heart rate, a marker of fear, during dangerous experiences. Pictured: File photo.
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