A Study Has Found: Could a pill cure racism?

Could the cure for racism come in pill form?

This is the latest installment of Metro’s brand new roundup of the day’s pop-science news, A Study Has Found. Stick with us for all of the sensationalized science you can handle!

A pill a day could keep the racist thoughts away.

Researchers at Oxford University have found an unintended, and unexpected, benefit from a prescription drug used to reduce high blood pressure, according to Yahoo.

The study, conducted on 36 white males, found that Propranolol, which is also used to combat migraines and anxiety, can affect the same part of the central nervous system that controls subconscious thoughts regarding race.

However, researchers can’t be sure that the effect of quelling racism was the only change to occur as a result of the drug — it might also change implicit brain systems. The decrease is racist thoughts might also directly correlate with lower blood pressure.

“Given the key role that such implicit attitudes appear to play in discrimination against other ethnic groups, and the widespread use of Propranolol for medical purposes, our findings are also of considerable ethical interest,” said researcher Sylvia Terbeck.

The findings, published in Psychopharmacology, are sure to spark debate over the use of drugs to regulate behavior.