Acetaminophen Reduces Social Pain

Abstract

Pain, whether caused by physical injury or social rejection, is an inevitable part of life. These two types of pain-physical and social-may rely on some of the same behavioral and neural mechanisms that register pain-related affect. To the extent that these pain processes overlap, acetaminophen, a physical pain suppressant that acts through central (rather than peripheral) neural mechanisms, may also reduce behavioral and neural responses to social rejection. In two experiments, participants took acetaminophen or placebo daily for 3 weeks. Doses of acetaminophen reduced reports of social pain on a daily basis (Experiment 1). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure participants' brain activity (Experiment 2), and found that acetaminophen reduced neural responses to social rejection in brain regions previously associated with distress caused by social pain and the affective component of physical pain (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, anterior insula). Thus, acetaminophen reduces behavioral and neural responses associated with the pain of social rejection, demonstrating substantial overlap between social and physical pain.

The social pain of Cyberball: Decreased pupillary reactivity to exclusion cues

“…Researchers in the field of ostracism have suggested that this analogy is more than just a metaphorical way of speaking. The experience of social pain seems to rely on some of the same neural underpinnings that are also involved in the experience of physical pain, as supported by neuroimaging studies (for an overview, see Cacioppo et al, 2013;Eisenberger, 2012), studies on pain sensitivity after a belonging threat, (DeWall & Baumeister, 2006), and studies in which analgesics reduce the emotional experience of social pain (DeWall et al, 2010;Vangelisti, Pennebaker, & Brody, 2014). We have shown that this diminished response to ostracism might also be reflected in the pupil.…”

“…For instance, research has shown that acetaminophen reduces the emotional experience of social pain (DeWall et al, 2010;Vangelisti, Pennebaker, Brody, & Guinn, 2014) and being socially excluded reduces pain sensitivity, both in terms of higher pain thresholds and higher tolerance (DeWall & Baumeister, 2006). It also has been found that physical pain, like social pain, can threaten basic need satisfaction.…”

Revising Working Models Across Time: Relationship Situations That Enhance Attachment Security

“…As discussed above, individuals who are experiencing chronic attachment anxiety in a relationship also will have elevated negative affect and make negative attributions about the partner's behavior when their anxiety is activated Simpson et al, 1996). They also have a lower threshold for experiencing social and physical pain compared to others, become frustrated when others do not acknowledge their needs, and are prone to feeling regret regarding previous relationships (Ben-Naim, Hirschberger, Ein-Dor, & Mikulincer, 2013;DeWall et al, 2012;Joel, MacDonald, & Plaks, 2012;MacDonald & Kingsbury 2006;Mikulincer, Florian, & Weller, 1993;Pietromonaco & Barrett, 1997). These responses elevate their emotional intensity and sense of "drama", as revealed by their tendency to perceive relationship threats (Gere et al, 2013), to over-interpret the significance of daily relationship events (Campbell et al, 2005), and to be more strongly affected by hurtful partner behaviors relative to others .…”

Testing the Affiliation Hypothesis of Homoerotic Motivation in Humans: The Effects of Progesterone and Priming

“…Aversion to cues of rejection has been linked to the pain system, fundamental to selfpreservation (DeWall et al, 2010;Eisenberger, Jarcho, Lieberman, & Naliboff, 2006;Eisenberger & Lieberman, 2004;MacDonald & Leary, 2005). Conversely, affiliating with others and engaging in cooperative exchange activates neural reward centers in the brain (Bora, Yucel, & Allen, 2009).…”