We all take comfort from the presence of a loved one during tough times — and here is a way to tap into those feelings even if that person isn’t able to be physically present. Researchers have found that bringing a picture of a loved one to a medical procedure can help make it less painful — literally.
Naomi Eisenberger, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at University of California, Los Angeles, led a team exploring how social support can help people cope with physical pain. Twenty-five female undergraduate students were recruited to participate in a study that they were told would “explore how people respond to comforting and uncomfortable stimuli.” The study required participants to bring a loved one to the one-hour session.
To produce the “uncomfortable stimuli,” researchers placed a probe onto each participant’s forearm. It could be heated to a temperature high enough to cause pain but not high enough to create a burn. As the probe heated up, each subject was asked to rate the level of pain on a scale of 0 to 20. There were six different scenarios tested for each participant: holding the hand of her loved one… holding a stranger’s hand… holding a “stress ball” to squeeze to release tension… gazing at a computer screen on which was displayed a photo of the loved one… a photo of a stranger… or a photo of a chair.
Predictably enough, participants felt less pain while holding the hands of their loved ones compared with when they held either a stranger’s hand or the stress ball. But it also turned out that simply looking at a loved one’s photo greatly reduced pain — in fact, more effectively even than holding the loved one’s hand.
So this is easy advice you can put to use right away — carry a photo of your partner, family or a friend (or all of them!) with you to look at when something hurts. You can do this for others, too — if you can’t be with someone you love who is sick or having a medical procedure, send a photo and explain why you think it will help — chances are, it will.
Special from Bottom Line’s Daily Health News
May 6, 2010
by Laura Imbeault
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