When we experience pain, sometimes it's unbearable without taking pain pills.
Some of the common side effects are to experience stomach pains or nausea. A new study suggests the pills may also make you less empathetic.
Researchers from Ohio State University looked at acetaminophen -- the key ingredient in Tylenol and about 600 other medicines. They took a group of college students and gave half of them 1,000 mg of acetaminophen. The other half of the students didn't get the drug.
The researchers waited an hour for the drug to take effect before the students were read short stories with sad conclusions. The students were then asked how much pain each person was experiencing.
Those who took acetaminophen didn't think the situations were bad. Those who didn't take the drug showed more empathy for the people.
