Pictures and Presence of a Loved One May Decrease Physical Pain
November 25th, 2009
The monthly issue of the journal Psychological Science has an interesting addition for November: a group from the University of California at Los Angeles has found that while the presence of a spouse or romantic partner can decrease perception of the intensity of physical pain, a simple photograph can work, as well. The study applied a somewhat painful stimulus to the forearms of a group of female participants, and reports of the pain intensity were gathered when the women viewed a picture of their partner, a stranger, and a chair. Results showed that pain was perceived as being lower while observing the photograph of the partner, in a similar fashion to the study’s section involving holding the hand of one’s partner. The study may help caregivers and those in health care environments understand the benefits of greater visitation and client access.
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Comments
Loved ones can always make the pain of every situation so much easier to bear.
Emotional bonding really works… when you have the support and care of your loved ones, you can be sure of healing quicker from a problem… when the person is not available, thoughts about them or even a picture, as mentioned here, will surely help…
I have seen this work! When I was little and ended up in hospital for having ‘bat ears’, I had my parents by my side and believe me, I didn’t quite feel so sick because I would always take strength from their presence.
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