From: msnbc.com
Distraction reduces pain, study finds
February 8, 2012
msnbc.com:
When you distract yourself from pain, you actually hurt less, a new study suggests.
Study participants who were subjected to slight pain on their forearms reported less discomfort when they were asked to perform a distracting mental test as the pain was delivered.
Moreover, when participants were given a placebo “pain relief” cream, and distracted at the same time, their pain was even more reduced.
“Both placebo and distraction are effective mechanisms for reducing pain. You can combine them and you don’t lose anything,” said study researcher Jason Buhle, who conducted the research as part of his doctoral dissertation from Columbia University.
Read the full story: msnbc.com
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