This study on painkillers blunting social pain screams for follow-up. But it intrigues nonetheless:
Over-the-counter painkiller may help ease emotional slights, UF study finds
Why does it scream? No, not for lack of emotion-easing acetaminophen. Because it was one study with a limited number of subjects. And I’m not sure about the measure of the second variable. The social pain part. Here’s some of the specifics -
By random assignment, nearly half the participants, 24 women and six men, took a 500-mg pill of acetaminophen immediately after waking up each day and another 500-mg pill one hour before going to sleep, while 24 women and eight men took a placebo. Each night the participants filled out a survey to assess their level of hurt feelings during the day.
Throughout the three weeks, those who took acetaminophen reported significantly fewer hurt feelings on average than participants in the placebo group, Webster said. In addition, they showed much less activity in areas of the brain linked with emotional feelings, such as hurt and rejection, he said.
Random assignment . . . placebo group. Good. But what is “significantly fewer hurt feelings” — in other words, how large was the effect — and how was it measured? The “much less activity in areas of the brain” was gauged via use of fMRI technology. So that seem solid. But it brings to mind another question: Was the reading of the fMRI scans blinded?
One thing I don’t question much, to quote study co-author Gregory Webster, is “[t]he possibility of this link between physical and social pain systems.” That possibility is highly plausible, judging by what is already understood about human psychology and physiology. Yes, as Webster pointed out, “we live in a dualistic society where people see the mind and body as being very separate.” But that’s changing. I think. I hope.
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Tags: mental health
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