Tylenol and Empathy

When you swallow a couple of Tylenol to ease a headache or reduce a fever, you are probably not thinking about how it might affect your relationships.

But groundbreaking research suggests that acetaminophen – the active ingredient in Tylenol and over 600 other medications – might be doing more than just numbing your physical pain. It could be reducing your ability to feel empathy for others.

Recent studies have revealed something remarkable about how our brains process pain and empathy. When we see someone else in pain – whether they've stubbed their toe or are going through emotional distress – the same regions in our own brains light up.

This neurological overlap suggests that our ability to "feel someone else's pain" isn't merely a figure of speech – it's literally how our brains work.

This leads us to a fascinating question: If the same brain circuits are involved in both personal pain and empathy, what happens when we take painkillers?

With acetaminophen [namely Tylenol] as one of the most common over-the-counter medications in the U.S., taken by roughly a quarter of American adults every week – this is an important question to ask.

Empathy is our ability to understand and share the feelings of others. It’s what makes us wince when we see someone stub their toe, feel warm when a friend gets good news, or be moved by a stranger’s hardship.

Scientists break empathy into two main types:

Cognitive empathy – Understanding what someone else is feeling.
Affective empathy – Feeling an emotional echo of their experience.

Affective empathy – especially for pain – is partly physical. We experience what’s called “pain contagion”, where our body mimics another’s discomfort to some degree.

Researchers at Ohio State University and elsewhere have run multiple double-blind, placebo-controlled studies testing how acetaminophen affects empathy. Those who took acetaminophen were given a standard 1000 mg liquid dosage.

The results are surprisingly consistent when the participants were given various empathy tests: reading scenarios about happy and sad events, witnessing social rejection, and noise pain tests.

Reduced empathy for pain – People who took acetaminophen rated others’ physical and emotional pain as less severe.
Reduced empathy for joy – Acetaminophen dampened positive empathy – participants felt less personal pleasure when reading about or witnessing someone else’s happy moment.
Intact understanding, dulled feeling – Participants recognized others’ emotions – they just didn’t feel them as strongly.

Functional MRI studies have shown that both physical pain and empathy for pain activate similar brain areas, namely the anterior insula (AI) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC).

These areas are central to emotional awareness and to processing both our own experiences and our understanding of others' experiences.

Empathy relies partly on our ability to simulate what others are feeling. When we see someone get hurt, we unconsciously create a mild version of that experience in our own bodies.

Acetaminophen reduces activity in these regions, which explains why it can simultaneously dull physical pain and empathic responses.

Research has even shown this effect in rats, where acetaminophen reduced empathy-like behaviors and decreased levels of oxytocin and vasopressin, the hormones crucial for social bonding and empathy.

Given the widespread use of acetaminophen, these conclusions may have broad ripple effects. The research suggests that the measurable reduction in empathic responses could accumulate over time, especially with regular use, leading to unintended social consequences.

Everyday impact – In an argument or emotionally charged situation, you might perceive the other person’s distress less acutely, potentially making conflict resolution harder.
Children – If you're a parent dealing with your child's emotional meltdown, you might find it harder to connect with what your child is experiencing.
Societal scale – With millions regularly using acetaminophen, researchers speculate that widespread, subtle dampening of empathy could influence social cohesion.
Beyond pain – Blunting positive empathy – the sharing in others’ joy – could make people less supportive and less connected, unable to build trust and friendship.

While these findings are compelling, researchers acknowledge that more work is needed, especially across broader population samples and in longer-term studies regarding the impact on empathy and social relationships.

If you take Tylenol or other products with acetaminophen, be mindful of the potential risks. Recognize the possible tradeoff – that you may be exchanging pain relief for a social and emotional cost. Be extra conscious of others' emotional states and truly listen and understand their perspectives.

Empathy has been crucial for human survival and cooperation. Our ability to quickly read others' emotional states and respond appropriately helped our ancestors navigate complex social situations and build the cooperative societies that allowed humans to thrive.

Be mindful that other painkillers may have similar effects given how these medications affect the regions of brain responsible for processing physical sensations and emotional awareness.

Consider whether you really need that Tylenol for minor aches and pains, or if you might be able to manage discomfort through other means.

The relationship between pain management and empathy presents us with a balancing act. Physical pain can be debilitating and significantly impact quality of life. Effective pain relief is often necessary and beneficial. But understanding the potential social and emotional side effects of medications can help us make more informed decisions about when and how to use them.

Empathy is a fundamental part of what makes us human. Our ability to feel with others drives compassion, cooperation, and much of what we value about human relationships.

Anything that affects this capacity, no matter how subtly, deserves our attention and consideration.