Everything Hurts the Same

New research shows that psychological blows not only feel like they hurt us, they actually do.

New research shows that psychological blows not only feel like they hurt us, they actually do. Scientists have found a gene linked with both physical pain and a person’s sensitivity to rejection. And some of the same brain regions are linked with both pain types. So a drug designed to alleviate physical pain should also reduce the pain of social rejection. Scientists at the University of Kentucky conducted two experiments involving acetaminophen, the main ingredient in painkiller Tylenol. In one, 62 healthy volunteers took 1,000 mg daily of either acetaminophen or a placebo. Each evening, participants answered questions on the so-called Hurt Feelings Scale, which measures social pain caused by, say, teasing. Hurt feelings and social pain decreased over time in those taking acetaminophen, while no change was observed in subjects taking the placebo. Then, the team had 25 healthy volunteers take either 2,000 mg of acetaminophen or a placebo. After three weeks of taking the pills, subjects played a computer game rigged to create feelings of social rejection. Their brains were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). When experiencing rejection, subjects taking painkillers showed less brain activity, compared with the placebo group.

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