According to the findings of a new study, led by C. Nathan DeWall, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, the over-the-counter drug Tylenol – which has acetaminophen as its key ingredient – can help relieve not only physical pain, but also alleviate the psychological pain resulting from social rejection of some kind.

However, cautioning that further research is needed to substantiate the psychological-pain-relief-benefits of Tylenol, the researchers based their findings on the results of two experiments that involved acetaminophen.

In the first experiment, the researchers administered to 62 healthy volunteers a 1,000-mg daily dose of either acetaminophen or a placebo. Upon regular questioning on the so-called ‘Hurt Feelings Scale,’ it was found that, over time, the acetaminophen group reported a decrease in psychological pain.

In the second experiment, 25 healthy volunteers were given either 2,000 mg of acetaminophen or a placebo, for three weeks. Then, the participants were made to play a computer game programmed to create feelings of social rejection; and, during game-play, the brains of the participants were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Researchers found that the acetaminophen group showed noticeably lesser activity, than the placebo group, in brain areas associated with distress of social pain as well as physical pain.

While the study does not say that acetaminophen affects happiness levels, DeWall said that the pain-killer “does make things feel not as bad when you feel rejected.”