Aching back? Pop a couple of Tylenol and you'll feel better in no time. Feeling awkward or rejected at a party? Once again, it's Tylenol to the rescue.

That's right, take two and you might not have to call your therapist in the morning. As incredible as it sounds, this is what researchers would have us believe after conducting two experiments due to be published in the journal Psychological Science.

In the first experiment, subjects were given 1,000 milligrams a day of either a placebo or acetaminophen. They were asked to report on any "social pain" they experienced during the day using...and I am not making this up...the "Hurt Feelings Scale." Those popping the acetaminophen pills ended up reporting less hurt feelings.

In the second experiment they upped the dosage to 2,000 milligrams and had the volunteers play a video game designed to make the players feel socially rejected. (I have no details on what the actual game consisted of, but am imagining smarmy popular girls pointing their digital fingers at me and telling me my hair looks bad and I smell).

The volunteers were rigged up to a functional MRI while they played the game so researchers could take a peek at the areas of their brains that register the distress of social pain. The group on the placebo had those areas light up like the proverbial Christmas tree while the brains on the acetaminophen saw a lot less action.

Naturally the white coats decided that "safe and mild" over-the- counter acetaminophen can help people through the distress of social rejection. Of course the problem with this finding is that it ignores the fact that Tylenol, and other acetaminophen products, are not actually safe and mild. Conservative estimates say they could be responsible for anywhere between 100 to 500 deaths every year from liver failure.

People already tend to treat Tylenol like candy. Most don't realize that this drug, like any other, has potentially dangerous side effects. Having people self-medicate for their feelings of "social rejection"-especially with hefty daily doses 300% over the FDA's recommended dosage-could have deadly consequences.

So steer clear of self-medicating your hurt feelings with Tylenol and instead check out the practical advice in Herbs to Overcome Anxiety Disorders and Panic Attacks".

Source:

"Acetaminophen For Mental Health Relief" by Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor, December 22, 2009 "http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/22/acetaminophen-for- mental-health-relief/10357.html"

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