DCentric

A common heart disease drug may have a surprising side effect: reducing subconscious racism. A study led by an Oxford University doctor and published in the journal Psychopharmacology found that people who took propranolol were less likely to show implicit racist attitudes than people took a placebo. The drug didn’t have any effect on explicitly racist attitudes.

The sample size of the study was small, and some scientists caution against drawing broad conclusions. But others say the findings raise interesting questions as to whether racist attitudes could be altered with drugs, “a possibility that requires careful ethical analysis,” the Australian Associated Press reports.

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• Source: Adelaidenow

Scientists believe the discovery can be explained by the fact that racism is fundamentally founded on fear.

Propranolol acts both on nerve circuits that govern automatic functions such as heart rate, and the part of the brain involved in fear and emotional responses. The drug is also used to treat anxiety and panic.

Read more at: www.adelaidenow.com.au

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