London - Paracetamol could make difficult decisions less of a headache.
Some of the brain areas involved in physical pain are also involved in mental discomfort, researchers say.
Taking pills designed to suppress physical pain could therefore also be used to reduce the anguish of situations that cause us psychological pain, such as spending money or selling possessions.
The US researchers gave volunteers either two paracetamol or two placebo pills. Half an hour later – after the paracetamol would have had time to act – they were asked to choose between two puzzles that they would like to do.
Normally, after choosing between two equally attractive things, we rationalise the decision by pretending we never really liked the one we rejected. This, say the researchers, makes the choice feel less painful.
But when the volunteers were asked to rate the puzzles a second time, those given the paracetamol rated the rejected puzzle less harshly than the others.
The University of Kentucky scientists said this suggests they found the initial decision less painful.
In a second experiment, the participants were given a mug and were told either that they could keep it or that it belonged to the university. They were then told they could sell the mug and asked how much they would charge.
Those who owned the mug were expected to value it more highly – as we tend to find selling our possessions painful. But those who took paracetamol set the lowest prices.
Writing in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the scientists said shows that the drug could take some of the pain out of decision-making.
“When people make decisions, they sometimes use words related to physical pain,” they said. “People might say it ‘hurt’ to sell their home, that they were ‘crushed’ when they decided to withdraw money from their retirement investment portfolio earlier than they’d planned...
“We propose that the pain of decision-making is not a mere metaphor. If so, numbing them to physical pain should also numb them to the psychological pain involved in some sorts of decision-making.
“Making decisions can be painful but a physical painkiller can take the pain away.” - Daily Mail