Love as a painkiller

Posted on 25. Nov, 2010 by Julia Barnard in pain and pain management, Wellbeing Research

Thinking about your loved one may ease your experience of pain, according to Stanford University researchers. Fifteen participants had their brains scanned whilst looking at photos of their partner. The participants were in the early stages of their relationship where feelings of love were at their most intense. Whilst looking at the pictures, they were exposed to mild pain via a heat pad placed on their hand. The participants were found to better tolerate the pain when compared to looking at photos of an attractive acquaintance. This was shown through the brain images where the nucleus accumbens would light up. This is known as the reward area of the brain and is generally activated by painkillers.

By the way, if you aren’t in the first stages of love, try distraction. This also helped participants’ tolerance of pain.

Tags: brain, love, pain