Paracetamol, one of the most commonly consumed drugs worldwide, may influence your risk-taking behaviour, beyond its common use as an analgesic, a new study suggests. The Paracetamol risky behaviour study reveals intriguing psychological effects, showing how acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, alters people’s perception of risks in various activities.
How Acetaminophen Alters Risk Perception
Researchers found that people who took acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol, rated activities like “bungee jumping off a tall bridge” and “speaking your mind about an unpopular issue at work” as less risky. This was compared to those who took a placebo.
The Study and Key Findings
The study, published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, shows that use of the drug also led people to take more risks in an experiment where they could earn rewards by inflating a virtual balloon on a computer. Sometimes they went too far and the balloon popped.
“Acetaminophen seems to make people feel less negative emotion when they consider risky activities – they just don’t feel as scared,” said Baldwin Way, co-author of the study and associate professor of psychology at The Ohio State University.
“With nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population taking acetaminophen each week, reduced risk perception and increased risk-taking could significantly impact society,” Way said.
Background Research
This research builds on previous studies led by Way, revealing that acetaminophen—the main ingredient in Tylenol and nearly 600 other medicines—affects psychology in ways most people don’t realize.
Previous research by Way and his colleagues has shown that acetaminophen reduces both positive and negative emotions, including hurt feelings, distress over others’ suffering, and even personal joy.
Way conducted the study with Alexis Keaveney, a former doctoral student at Ohio State, and Ellen Peters, now at the University of Oregon.
In one experiment, 189 college students visited a lab and took either 1,000 mg of acetaminophen (the recommended headache dose) or a placebo. After waiting for the drug to take effect, they rated how risky various activities seemed on a scale from 1 to 7.
Results showed that those who took acetaminophen rated activities like bungee jumping, walking home alone at night in unsafe areas, starting a new career in their mid-30s, and skydiving as less risky compared to the placebo group.
Paracetamol Hidden Effects: More Than Just Pain Relief
The effects of acetaminophen on risk-taking were also tested in three separate experimental studies.
Across these studies, 545 undergraduate students completed a task developed in 2002 to measure risk-taking behavior. Other researchers found that taking more risks on this task predicts risky behaviors outside the lab. These include alcohol and drug use, driving without a seatbelt, and stealing.
In the task, participants click a button on the computer to inflate a balloon on their computer screen. Each time they inflate it they receive virtual money. They can stop at any time and add the money to their “bank,” and move on to the next balloon. But there is a risk involved. 
“As you keep pumping the balloon, it grows bigger on your computer screen, and you earn more money with each pump,” Way said.
“But as the balloon grows bigger, you face a decision. Should you keep pumping to make more money, knowing that if it bursts, you lose what you earned?”
For those who took the acetaminophen, the answer was: Keep on pumping. Results showed that those on the drug pumped more times than those on the placebo and had more burst balloons.
“If you’re risk-averse, you might pump the balloon a few times and then choose to cash out to avoid it bursting and losing your money,” he explained.
However, for those taking acetaminophen, as the balloon grows bigger, we believe they experience less anxiety and fewer negative emotions about its size and the chance it could burst.
The results have a variety of real-life implications, Way said.
For example, acetaminophen is the recommended treatment by the CDC for initial COVID-19 symptoms.
Perhaps someone with mild COVID-19 symptoms might not think it’s risky to leave their house and meet people if they are taking acetaminophen,” Way said.
Real-World Implications of Paracetamol’s Risk-Influencing Effects
Every day activities, like driving, require constant decisions about risk perception and assessment. These decisions could be affected by using the painkiller.
“We need more research on how acetaminophen and other over-the-counter drugs affect the choices and risks people take,” he said.
Conclusion: The Unseen Side Effects of Paracetamol
The Paracetamol risky behaviour study highlights the drug’s psychological effects. It raises questions about how it influences decision-making and risk assessment. While commonly used for pain relief, acetaminophen’s impact on emotions and behavior needs further study, especially given its widespread use.