Takes this pill and call me in the morning?
Some researchers at Oxford university have discovered that a pill might be able to treat somebody with racist and other prejudiced beliefs.
Propranolol, is an old drug of the beta-blocking class which has been used to treat a wide variety of illness and maladies, ranging from hypertension to migraines to shaky hands to glaucoma, and many many others. It's humourous to note that a pill for high blood pressure might also treat prejudice, lol. One of the physiological changes with the parmacodynamics of this drug is activation of a peripheral autonomic center in the brain associated with fear and emotional responses. Hmm, seems plausible. Racism and prejudice have often been describes as emotional and fearful responses.
The Oxford lead research (link to full study) used small groups, 18 subjects each for the propranolol and placebo groups. From one to two hours after administering the treatments, the subjects were asked to sort pictures of black and white faces into categories, including positive and negative words, as well as rate their feelings. This sort of test is known as an implicit association test (IAT). In another IAT, the subjects were asked to describe how they felt towards blacks, whites, homosexuals, Christians, and Muslims.
The results were 34% of the propranolol group received negative scores, while the placebo group had no subjects with a negative score. This indicates that propranolol may produce a negative bias (or an aversion) towards racism and prejudice at the sub-conscious level.
Lower blood pressure, less fear and anxiety, less prejudiced. Plausible? Perhaps
Some researchers at Oxford university have discovered that a pill might be able to treat somebody with racist and other prejudiced beliefs.
Propranolol, is an old drug of the beta-blocking class which has been used to treat a wide variety of illness and maladies, ranging from hypertension to migraines to shaky hands to glaucoma, and many many others. It's humourous to note that a pill for high blood pressure might also treat prejudice, lol. One of the physiological changes with the parmacodynamics of this drug is activation of a peripheral autonomic center in the brain associated with fear and emotional responses. Hmm, seems plausible. Racism and prejudice have often been describes as emotional and fearful responses.
The Oxford lead research (link to full study) used small groups, 18 subjects each for the propranolol and placebo groups. From one to two hours after administering the treatments, the subjects were asked to sort pictures of black and white faces into categories, including positive and negative words, as well as rate their feelings. This sort of test is known as an implicit association test (IAT). In another IAT, the subjects were asked to describe how they felt towards blacks, whites, homosexuals, Christians, and Muslims.
The results were 34% of the propranolol group received negative scores, while the placebo group had no subjects with a negative score. This indicates that propranolol may produce a negative bias (or an aversion) towards racism and prejudice at the sub-conscious level.
Lower blood pressure, less fear and anxiety, less prejudiced. Plausible? Perhaps
