LESS PAIN IF YOU ARE IN CONTROL

 

 

Some subjects use distractions to cope with pain, some others prefer knowing almost everything about origins and nature of the pain, to tolerate it. But as common evidence it seems that you perceive less pain when in control.

The authors of a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience tested the neurophysiological basis of being in control during the perception of pain (T. V. Salomons et al. Perceived controllability modulates neural responses to pain. J. Neurosci. 24, 7199-7203, 2004) and clearly showed less activation of the “pain-brain” areas when subjects were in control.

 

BM&L-October 2004