Anticipation of pain can be worse than pain itself - health - 22 November 2013 - New Scientist

This study demonstrates that the fear of anticipation is so strong it can reverse the usual pattern of time discounting," says George Loewenstein, a professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "It's probably not an exaggeration to say that as much, or more, of the pains of life come from anticipation and memory than from actual experience."The study could well have implications for medicine and health policy, because an understanding of how people judge pain is important for presenting them with options about potentially painful treatments."You should avoid emphasising waiting times," says Story. "And if you can make something seem unavoidable, people may be more likely to confront it to minimise dread."Story hopes that this kind of psychological study will aid the development of diagnostic tools. "Looking at these kinds of preferences might help predict whether people will make healthy or unhealthy choices," he says.Journal reference: PLoS Computational Biology, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003335 http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24642-anticipation-of-pain-can-be-worse-than-pain-itself.html#.UpHnNpHf4-t
Source: Psychology of Pain - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Source Type: blogs