A pill as a quick solution: association between painkiller intake, empathy, and prosocial behavior.

ABSTRACT: Previous research has demonstrated a link between the administration of analgesic drugs and the reduction of empathy levels in humans. This apparent blunting effect of pain medication has been explained through shared neural mechanisms for the first-hand and the empathic experience of pain (simulation theory). Considering that analgesics are among the most consumed drugs in the world and the ability to empathize with others is fundamental to human social interactions, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether the typical day-to-day analgesic consumption rate in Austria and Germany is associated with a reduction in empathy and prosocial behavior. We therefore collected self-reports of analgesic consumption behavior as well as empathy for pain and prosocial behavior measures in

SUBMITTER: Banwinkler M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10603176 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature