Easing the pain of living

Pain is an interesting thing. Yes, it’s uncomfortable but it is also a signal, or a signpost. A bruised and painful foot prompts you to avoid walking on that foot, which is a good thing because it avoids doing more damage. That brings into question the whole field of painkilling medication…are you avoiding the cause by simply masking the symptom, which is pain? The answer to that varies from case to case but undoubtedly there are times when we would be better off feeling the pain and responding to it. What about the possibility though, that a pill might take away the essential pain of being a human being, the suffering of which Buddha spoke? Would you take it? Think on that question because according to a new study you might already have that pill in your medicine cabinet.

Acetaminophen is a popular painkiller worldwide. It is known by brand names like Panadol and Tylenol. Now a new study has suggested that it might not only relieve physical pain but even “existential dread”.

Although acetaminophen certainly offers pain relief there remains some uncertainty as to exactly how it works. Although it is believed to impact pain mediating chemicals called prostaglandins, it is also thought that it might impact pain-related enzymes such as COX-2. Most papers on acetaminophen still end by saying things like “the action of paracetamol (acetaminophen) at a molecular level is unclear”. According to new research, though, however it is working seems to have an impact on not just pain but even the angst that is part of the human condition.

For their study, the researchers had people take either acetaminophen or a placebo pill. One group was then asked to write about what would happen to their body after they die; the other group wrote about dental pain. All people then had to read an arrest report for a prostitute and set an amount for bail.

The group that had written about dental pain set a low bail fee while the ones who had written about death set it much higher (at $500 compared to only $300). This is thought to be because those who had written about death were experiencing existential angst and had to assert their values as a way of coping. However, when people wrote about death but also took acetaminophen, they set bail at a much lower level suggesting that the drug was reducing their existential suffering.

Another study then had people watch a surreal video by David Lynch intended to induce angst. Again, those given acetaminophen set bail at a lower level.

The conclusion from all of that is that acetaminophen somehow, whatever its mechanism of action, acts to numb people to their concern and existential worry about death. Whether the drug will have this effect out of the laboratory in the face of real-world angst though remains to be seen. It does, however, raise some interesting questions.

Buddha said that the nature of life is suffering and if you aren’t feeling that suffering and the existential angst that goes with it, are you living? Even if acetaminophen can reduce existential angst, would you really want to drug yourself out of feeling the reality of being a living human being? There’s something to ponder upon.