 Explaining the findings Baldwin Way, co-author of the study, told Ohio State News : 'Acetaminophen seems to make people feel less negative emotion when they consider risky activities – they just don't feel as scared, 'With nearly 25 percent of the population in the U.S. taking acetaminophen each week, reduced risk perceptions and increased risk-taking could have important effects on society.' The scientists tested the hypothesis that paracetamol could influence important judgements and decisions when it came to risk by carrying out three placebo-controlled studies using a series of experiments. One experiment used in the studies was a computerised task which saw 545 undergraduate student volunteers inflate balloons to earn virtual money, with each pump risking them losing all of the){kind=link}
Scientists in the US found that taking paracetamol could come with a dangerous side effect as a study showed that those taking the drug were more likely to take risks
Paracetamol is often the first type of medication that people reach for when they’re experiencing headaches, pains and high temperatures, but the common painkiller can also cause a strange side effect.
According to the NHS, paracetamol rarely causes side effects if you take it in the right dosage but scientists in the US have discovered that acetaminophen, which is better known as paracetamol, can alter your perception of risk.
A team of scientists at Ohio State University found that those who take the drug are more likely to take risks than those given a placebo.
Their 2020 study, which was published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, discovered that people who took the drug rated activities like “bungee jumping off a tall bridge” and “speaking your mind about an unpopular issue in a meeting at work” as less risky than people who took a placebo.