Less Emotional Pain and Less Empathy In one study the authors examined, people were assigned to take either acetaminophen or placebo pills in the morning and at bedtime for three weeks. Every night they filled out questionnaires designed to measure “hurt feelings” and positive emotions. About a week into the study, the people who were taking acetaminophen started reporting significantly fewer hurt or negative feelings than the placebo group did. There was no difference between the two groups when it came to experiencing positive emotions. This may be because acetaminophen dulls the intensity of a our feelings about others more than our feelings about ourselves.

Less Emotional Pain and Less Empathy

In one study the authors examined, people were assigned to take either acetaminophen or placebo pills in the morning and at bedtime for three weeks. Every night they filled out questionnaires designed to measure “hurt feelings” and positive emotions. About a week into the study, the people who were taking acetaminophen started reporting significantly fewer hurt or negative feelings than the placebo group did. There was no difference between the two groups when it came to experiencing positive emotions. This may be because acetaminophen dulls the intensity of a our feelings about others more than our feelings about ourselves.