Can Over-the-Counter Pain Medications Influence Our Thoughts and Emotions?

Abstract

Recent research at the intersection of social psychology and psychopharmacology is raising new questions about some of our favorite over-the-counter (OTC) pain medications. This work suggests that drugs like acetaminophen and ibuprofen might influence how people experience emotional distress, process cognitive discrepancies, and evaluate stimuli in their environment. These studies have the potential to change our understanding of how popular pain medications influence the millions of people who take them. However, this research is still in its infancy. Further studies are necessary to address the robustness of reported findings and fully characterize the psychological effects of these drugs.