Hanging by a thread? Tylenol to the rescue

Angst Incarnate (by Titian, 1548-49)

The old adage, "If you're at the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on" no longer applies.  Today's wisdom says that it's much more effective to just pop a Tylenol.

Aimee Picchi of MSN Money elaborates upon this extra-strength philosophy.  She reports that pills containing acetaminophen can actually help to relieve "existential angst."  This information was derived from research results that were published in Psychological Science.  The study had been done at Canada's University of British Columbia.

This research involved the deliberate creation of "existential dread" by asking a group to "write about what would happen to their bodies after they die." (Caution:  Do not try this literary exercise within three hours of bedtime.)  A different group was asked to watch angst-producing films such as Eraserhead.

Lo and behold!  Tylenol seems to somehow relieve the effects of experiences like these.  Lead researcher David Randles theorized that "taking Tylenol seems to inhibit the brain signal that says something is wrong."  (But what if something is horribly wrong – such as the study itself?)

Questions like this last one don't seem to phase Johnson & Johnson, the company that produces Tylenol.  On the heels of "a series of setbacks," J & J is likely enamored with the idea that Tylenol can slap a Band-Aid over gut-wrenching feelings. 

So there you have it – a possible cure for the "why bother" feeling that's been plaguing Sisyphus all these years.  It may actually soon be possible for him to lay aside that boulder and begin pushing pills instead.

Resources

http://money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?post=63415d6f-4655-4de2-ae55-5498adedde91

Copyright April 24, 2013 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved