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Photographs As Effective Painkillers
Apr. 8th, 2011 05:41 amI like the news article in this months issue of Scientific American Mind (a magazine I buy regularly from Wh Smith, because I love it!).
Apparently, if we are looking at a photo of a loved one while we are in pain the intensity of that pain lessens. Images of attractive acquaintances were not very effective painkillers, but gazing at the faces of significant others reduced reported pain on average between 36 and 44 percent and high pain between 12 and 13 percent. The study subjects were caused varying degrees of pain via heat pads attached to their skin, while laying in an MRI machine during the tests - carried out at Stanford University by Neuroscientist Jarred Younger. Isn't it truly fascinating: love not only can emotionally heal us but it can also protect us from actual pain.
I also liked the article about beliefs, here is what it said: People preaching their point of view seem awfully sure of themselves. But we often try hardest to persuade when our confidence has been shaken, suggests an October study in Psychological Science. In the experiment, volunteers wrote essays aimed at strangers about their views on animal testing or dietary preference. When the subjects’ confidence was first challenged by recalling experiences that made them feel uncertain or having to write with their nondominant hand, they wrote longer essays. Because we define ourselves largely by our beliefs, the researchers say, we try to shore up our self-confidence by convincing others to see it our way.
I have thought for some time that people that push their beliefs on others, or shout loudly in disagreement of others differing view points, do so because they are feeling - personally - under attack, as they feel unsure of themselves and their own beliefs. This study, in a way, points to that being correct. Interesting!
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I’ve had a very nice week, going for long walks and generally feeling fairly happy.
Yesterday, I had a little scare when two of the tiniest baby bunnies I have ever seen hopped out into the path of the car, while I was being driven home from Richmond Park. Thankfully, John managed to steer away from them just in time and the little darlings, a little startled, ran off into some undergrowth. Hopefully that was enough to teach them that roads are not safe.
Apparently, if we are looking at a photo of a loved one while we are in pain the intensity of that pain lessens. Images of attractive acquaintances were not very effective painkillers, but gazing at the faces of significant others reduced reported pain on average between 36 and 44 percent and high pain between 12 and 13 percent. The study subjects were caused varying degrees of pain via heat pads attached to their skin, while laying in an MRI machine during the tests - carried out at Stanford University by Neuroscientist Jarred Younger. Isn't it truly fascinating: love not only can emotionally heal us but it can also protect us from actual pain.
I also liked the article about beliefs, here is what it said: People preaching their point of view seem awfully sure of themselves. But we often try hardest to persuade when our confidence has been shaken, suggests an October study in Psychological Science. In the experiment, volunteers wrote essays aimed at strangers about their views on animal testing or dietary preference. When the subjects’ confidence was first challenged by recalling experiences that made them feel uncertain or having to write with their nondominant hand, they wrote longer essays. Because we define ourselves largely by our beliefs, the researchers say, we try to shore up our self-confidence by convincing others to see it our way.
I have thought for some time that people that push their beliefs on others, or shout loudly in disagreement of others differing view points, do so because they are feeling - personally - under attack, as they feel unsure of themselves and their own beliefs. This study, in a way, points to that being correct. Interesting!
---
I’ve had a very nice week, going for long walks and generally feeling fairly happy.
Yesterday, I had a little scare when two of the tiniest baby bunnies I have ever seen hopped out into the path of the car, while I was being driven home from Richmond Park. Thankfully, John managed to steer away from them just in time and the little darlings, a little startled, ran off into some undergrowth. Hopefully that was enough to teach them that roads are not safe.