scholarly journals Swearing as a response to pain: Assessing hypoalgesic effects of novel “swear” words

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Stephens ◽  
Olly May Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Neutral Word ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
Cold Pressor Pain

Background: This pre-registered study extends previous findings that swearing alleviates pain tolerance by assessing the effects of a conventional swear word (“fuck”) and two new “swear” words, “fouch” and “twizpipe”.Method: A mixed sex group of participants (N = 92) completed a repeated measures experimental design augmented by mediation analysis. The independent variable was Word with the levels, “fuck” v. “fouch” v. “twizpipe” v. a neutral word. The dependent variables were emotion rating, humour rating, distraction rating, cold pressor pain threshold, cold pressor pain tolerance, pain perception score and change from resting heart rate. Possible mediation effects were assessed for emotion, humour and distraction ratings. Results: For conventional swearing (“fuck”), confirmatory analyses found a 32% increase in pain threshold and a 33% increase in pain tolerance, accompanied by increased ratings for emotion, humour and distraction, relative to the neutral word condition. The new “swear” words, “fouch” and “twizpipe” were rated higher than the neutral word for emotion and humour although these words did not affect pain threshold or tolerance. Changes in heart rate, pain perception and were absent, as were mediation effects.Conclusions: Our data replicate previous findings that repeating a swear word at a steady pace and volume benefits pain tolerance, extending this finding to pain threshold. Our data cannot explain how such effects are manifest, although distraction appears to be of little importance, and emotion is worthy of future study. The new “swear” words did not alleviate pain even though participants rated them as emotion evoking and humorous.

scholarly journals Aging Independently of the Hormonal Status Changes Pain Responses in Young Postmenopausal Women

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yannick Tousignant-Laflamme ◽  
Serge Marchand
Keyword(s):  
Postmenopausal Women ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Hormonal Status ◽  
Pain Pathways ◽  
Pain Ratings ◽  
The Mean

Both aging and hormonal status have an effect on pain perception. The goal of this study was to isolate as much as possible the effect of aging in postmenopausal women. Thirty-two women with regular menstrual cycles (RMW) and 18 postmenopausal women (PMW) underwent a 2-minute cold pressor test (CPT) to activate DNIC with a series of tonic heat pain stimulations with a contact thermode to assess ascending pain pathways. We found that this procedure induced much less pain during the first 15 seconds of stimulation the PMW group (P=0.03), while the mean thermode pain ratings, pain tolerance, pain threshold, and DNIC analgesia were similar for both groups (P>0.05). The absence of the peak pain in the PMW was probably due to reduced function of the myelinated Aδ fibers that naturally occurs with age.

Effect of Manipulated State Aggression on Pain Tolerance

2012 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 311-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Stephens ◽  
Claire Allsop
Keyword(s):  
Video Game ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Emotional Response ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
First Person ◽  
Repeated Measures Design ◽  
First Person Shooter

Swearing produces a pain lessening (hypoalgesic) effect for many people; an emotional response may be the underlying mechanism. In this paper, the role of manipulated state aggression on pain tolerance and pain perception is assessed. In a repeated-measures design, pain outcomes were assessed in participants asked to play for 10 minutes a first-person shooter video game vs a golf video game. Sex differences were explored. After playing the first-person shooter video game, aggressive cognitions, aggressive affect, heart rate, and cold pressor latency were increased, and pain perception was decreased. These data indicate that people become more pain tolerant with raised state aggression and support our theory that raised pain tolerance from swearing occurs via an emotional response.

scholarly journals Interaction Between Sex and Cardiac Interoceptive Accuracy in Measures of Induced Pain

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eszter Ferentzi ◽  
Mattis Geiger ◽  
Sandra A. Mai-Lippold ◽  
Ferenc Köteles ◽  
Christian Montag ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Dominant Hand ◽  
Female Age ◽  
Interoceptive Accuracy ◽  
The Impact

Pain perception is influenced by several factors, and among them, affect, sex, and perception of bodily signals are assumed to play a prominent role. The aim of the present study is to explore how sex, cardiac interoceptive accuracy, and the interaction of the latter two influence the perception of experimentally induced pain. We investigated a large sample of young adults (n = 159, 50.9% female, age: 23.45, SD = 3.767), assessing current positive and negative affective state with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (both involved as control variables), cardiac interoceptive accuracy with the mental heartbeat tracking task, and pain sensitivity with electrical stimulation on the back of the dominant hand, applying a repeated-measures staircase protocol. Males showed a significantly higher pain threshold and tolerance level than females, whereas cardiac interoceptive accuracy was not associated with pain sensitivity. The impact of sex × cardiac interoceptive accuracy interaction was significant for pain threshold only, while pain tolerance was predicted only by sex. According to these findings, the associations between pain sensitivity, cardiac IAc, and sex might be more complicated than it was supposed in previous studies. Interactions between factors impacting pain perception appear worthy of further investigation.

scholarly journals An Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Age and Sex/Gender on Pain Sensitivity in Healthy Human Participants

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanan El-Tumi ◽  
Mark I. Johnson ◽  
Osama A. Tashani
Keyword(s):  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pressure Pain Threshold ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Heat Pain ◽  
Detection Thresholds ◽  
Pressure Pain ◽  
Heat Pain Threshold ◽  
Cold Pressor Pain

Background: Ageing is associated with alterations of the structure and function of somatosensory tissue that can impact on pain perception. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between age and pain sensitivity responses to noxious thermal and mechanical stimuli in healthy adults. Methods: 56 unpaid volunteers (28 women) aged between 20 and 55 years were categorised according to age into one of seven possible groups. The following measurements were taken: thermal detection thresholds, heat pain threshold and tolerance using a TSA-II NeuroSensory Analyzer; pressure pain threshold using a handheld electronic pressure algometer; and cold pressor pain threshold, tolerance, intensity and unpleasantness. Results: There was a positive correlation between heat pain tolerance and age (r = 0.228, P = 0.046), but no statistically significant differences between age groups for cold or warm detection thresholds, or heat pain threshold or tolerance. Forward regression found increasing age to be a predictor of increased pressure pain threshold (B = 0.378, P = 0.002), and sex/gender to be a predictor of cold pressor pain tolerance, with women having lower tolerance than men (B = -0.332, P = 0.006). Conclusion: The findings of this experimental study provide further evidence that pressure pain threshold increases with age and that women have lower thresholds and tolerances to innocuous and noxious thermal stimuli. Significance: The findings demonstrate that variations in pain sensitivity response to experimental stimuli in adults vary according to stimulus modality, age and sex and gender.

scholarly journals Effect of Sub-maximal Exercise Stress on Cold Pressor Pain: A Gender Based Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
BR Pokhrel ◽  
SL Malik ◽  
AH Ansari ◽  
BJ Paudel ◽  
R Sinha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Maximal Exercise ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Exercise Stress Test ◽  
Pain Tolerance ◽  
Exercise Stress ◽  
Acute Bout ◽  
Cold Pressor Pain ◽  
Pain Test

Background Analgesic effect of exercise is a well established fact; however available reports are contradictory on gender differences in pain perception following exercise stress test. Objective The current study is prospectively designed to evaluate and compare the effect of acute bout of sub-maximal exercise stress on cold pressor pain in normal adult males and females. Method The experimental study design involved healthy adults (n= 41); females (n = 18) and males (n=23) aged between 18 to 25 years and included them into four sets of experiments: SET I (Control), “resting blood pressure, radial pulse and respiratory rate were recorded after 15 minutes of complete supine relaxation. SET II (Cold Pressor Pain Test): Pain Threshold, Pain Tolerance, and Pain Duration in seconds were taken. SET III (Exercise Stress Test): Sub-maximal exercise of 70 to 75% of maximum predicted heart rate was given for 6 minutes. SET IV (Cold Pressor Pain Test immediately after Exercise Stress Test): At 0 minute of recovery again the pain parameters; Pain Threshold, Pain Tolerance, and Pain Duration in seconds were taken. SET I, SET II were performed in order on the first day and SET III and SET IV on the second day to ensure only a single Cold Pressor Pain Test is performed in each day. Result The data (Mean ±SD) analysis showed significant increased in pain threshold (males: 14.36±10.6 Vs 21.47±13seconds, p<0.001, females: 14.1±11.5 Vs 23.81± 20.22 seconds, p<0.001) and pain tolerance time (males: 41.3±19.31Vs 54.1±21.7 seconds, p<0.001) in both sexes after 6 min of acute bout of sub-maximal exercise stress test with comparable age, BMI and baseline resting values of pain parameters and pulse rate and blood pressure. The percentage increment pain tolerance time following the exercise stress in female is higher than male (78.6 Vs 68.9%). Conclusion The result suggests that pain sensation decreases immediately after a brief period of exercise challenge irrespective of gender, and the analgesic effect of the acute bout of exercise in terms of pain tolerant time is more enhanced in females than males. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/kumj.v11i1.11028 Kathmandu University Medical Journal Vol.11(1) 2013: 54-59

Reduction in Pain Sensitivity from Pharmacological Elevation of Blood Pressure in Persons with Chronically Low Blood Pressure

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 104-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Duschek ◽  
Heike Heiss ◽  
Boriana Buechner ◽  
Rainer Schandry
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Heart Rate ◽  
Pain Sensitivity ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Drug Effects ◽  
Pressure Effects ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Low Blood Pressure ◽  
Present Trial

Recent studies have revealed evidence for increased pain sensitivity in individuals with chronically low blood pressure. The present trial explored whether pain sensitivity can be reduced by pharmacological elevation of blood pressure. Effects of the sympathomimetic midodrine on threshold and tolerance to heat pain were examined in 52 hypotensive persons (mean blood pressure 96/61 mmHg) based on a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind design. Heat stimuli were applied to the forearm via a contact thermode. Confounding of drug effects on pain perception with changes in skin temperature, temperature sensitivity, and mood were statistically controlled for. Compared to placebo, higher pain threshold and tolerance, increased blood pressure, as well as reduced heart rate were observed under the sympathomimetic condition. Increases in systolic blood pressure between points of measurement correlated positively with increases in pain threshold and tolerance, and decreases in heart rate were associated with increases in pain threshold. The findings underline the causal role of hypotension in the augmented pain sensitivity related to this condition. Pain reduction as a function of heart rate decrease suggests involvement of a baroreceptor-related mechanism in the pain attrition. The increased proneness of persons with chronic hypotension toward clinical pain is discussed.

scholarly journals Can Residential Greenspace Exposure Improve Pain Experience? A Comparison between Physical Visit and Image Viewing

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 918
Author(s):  
Hansen Li ◽  
Xing Zhang ◽  
Shilin Bi ◽  
Yang Cao ◽  
Guodong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
State Anxiety ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
The State ◽  
Subjective Stress ◽  
Pain Experience ◽  
Scenic Beauty ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Pain Stimuli

Reducing the burden of pain via greenspace exposure is a rising research topic. However, insufficient evidence has been found in relation to the environmental effect itself. Residential greenspace, as a convenient but limited natural environment for urban dwellers, has benefits and services yet to be discovered. Therefore, the current study recruited 24 young adults to evaluate the effects of physical visit to, or image viewing of, residential greenspace on pain perception and related psychophysiological outcomes, via simulated pain. Pain threshold and tolerance were recorded via the level of pain stimuli, and pain intensity was evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). The state scale of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and two adjective pairs were employed to measure the state anxiety and subjective stress, respectively. Meanwhile, heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV), and blood pressure (BP) were measured to investigate physiological responses. Besides, Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) was also employed to assess participants’ preference regarding the experimental environments. The results revealed that visiting the greenspace significantly increased the pain threshold and tolerance, while no significant effect was observed for image viewing. On the other hand, no significant difference was observed in pain-related psychophysiological indices between the experimental settings, but significantly negative associations were found between the scores of SBE and subjective stress and state anxiety. In conclusion, the current study brings experimental evidence of improving pain experience via residential greenspace exposure, while the related psychophysiological benefits require further investigation.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Expression of Pain in Psychic Depression

1978 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith R. Ganchrow ◽  
Jacob E. Steiner ◽  
Murray Kleiner ◽  
Eliezer L. Edelstein
Keyword(s):  
Heart Rate ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Facial Display ◽  
Pain Stimulus ◽  
Verbal Responses ◽  
Depressed Patients ◽  
Facial Displays ◽  
Cold Pressor Pain

The expression of cold pressor pain was measured by recording simultaneously verbal magnitude estimates, heart rates, and facial displays of 16 recently hospitalized depressed patients, and 16 nondepressed adults. Independence of the two groups for the depression factor was verified using the Hamilton Scale for Depression and the 100-mm line self-rating scale. Verbal responses and amount of time the ice bath was tolerated, as well as heart-rate measures, indicated that depressed individuals were significantly more sensitive to the pain stimulus. However, this elevated intolerance to pain was not reflected by marked changes of facial display. Reasons for this discrepancy are discussed. Nondepressed subjects, although clearly able to verbalize intensity of pain, were much less reactive to the pain along all dimensions.

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