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Headaches and heartaches(1). Broken bones and broken spirits(2). Hurting bodies and hurt feelings. We often use the same words to describe physical and mental pain. Over-the-counter(3) pain relieving drugs(4) have long been used to alleviate(5) physical pain, while a host of(6) other medications(7) have been employed in the treatment of depression(8) and anxiety(9). But is it possible that a common painkiller(10) could serve double duty(11), easing(12) not just the physical pains of sore joints and headaches, but also the pain of social rejection(13)? A research team led by psychologist(14) C. Nathan DeWall of the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences Department of Psychology(15) has uncovered(16) evidence indicating that acetaminophen(17) (the active ingredient(18) in Tylenol(19)) may blunt(20) social pain(21).

“The idea -- that a drug designed to alleviate physical pain should reduce the pain of social rejection -- seemed simple and straightforward(22) based on what we know about neural(23) overlap(24) between social and physical pain systems. To my surprise(25), I couldn’t find anyone who had ever tested this idea,” DeWall said.

According to(26) a study due to(27) be published in the journal Psychological Science(28), DeWall and colleagues(29) were correct. Physical and social pain appear to overlap in the brain, relying on(30) some of the same behavioral(31) and neural mechanisms.

DeWall and colleagues investigated this connection through two experiments. In the first experiment, 62 healthy volunteers took 1,000 milligrams(32) daily of either acetaminophen or a placebo(33). Each evening, participants(34) reported how much they experienced social pain using a version of the “Hurt Feelings Scale” -- a measurement tool widely accepted(35) by psychologists as a valid(36) measure of social pain.