( CNN ) Feeling so happy you just ca n't stand it ? You might want to pop some acetaminophen . A new study has found that acetaminophen , the main ingredient in Tylenol , most forms of Midol and more than 600 other medicines , reduces not only pain but pleasure , as well . The authors of the study , which was published this week in Psychological Science , say that it was already known that acetaminophen blunted psychological pain . But their new research led them to the conclusion that it also blunted joy -- in other words , that it narrowed the range of feelings experienced . `` This means that using Tylenol or similar products might have broader consequences than previously thought , '' said Geoffrey Durso , a doctoral student in social psychology at Ohio State University and the lead author of the study . `` Rather than just being a pain reliever , acetaminophen can be seen as an all-purpose emotion reliever . '' The researchers tested their thesis by showing 82 college students 40 photographs -- some of highly pleasant images , such as children with kittens , and some of highly unpleasant images , such as children who were malnourished . Half of the participants in the study were given `` an acute dose '' of acetaminophen -- 1,000 milligrams -- and the other half were given a placebo with the same appearance . The subjects were then asked to rate the photos according to how unpleasant or pleasant they were . Those who took the acetaminophen rated all the photos less extremely than those who took the placebo . `` In other words , positive photos were not seen as positively under the influence of acetaminophen and negative photos were not seen as negatively , '' the authors reported . The researchers followed up by testing a group of 85 people to see whether this change in judgment applied just to emotions or whether the drug blunted people 's evaluation of magnitude in general . This group showed the same blunting of emotional reactions . But acetaminophen did not affect how much blue they saw in each photo . But people who participated in the study did not appear to know they were acting differently , said Baldwin Way , an assistant professor of psychology who was another of the study 's authors . `` Most people probably are n't aware of how their emotions may be impacted when they take acetaminophen , '' Way said . Each week , about 23 % of American adults -- or 52 million people -- use a medicine containing acetaminophen , according to the nonprofit Consumer Healthcare Products Association . The authors said it was not known whether other pain relievers , such as ibuprofen and aspirin , have the same effect . But have no fear -- they plan to study that question , as well .
Subjects taking acetaminophen reacted less strongly to both pleasant and unpleasant photos . Each week , 52 million Americans use the pain reliever . The study was conducted by researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.