The July 2 issue of the New Yorker has a really interesting article on pain. It seems that Catholics, or at least those who practice, feel less pain when shown a picture of the Virgin Mary. The feel the same amount of pain as secular people when shown a secular image. Interesting?
how you are brought up and the connections you make will obvs have a positive/negative effect on you and your reaction to specific situations the thoughtful brains an amazing thing most likely why acupuncture can help some people and yet my sisters friends cat scarred her for life when she tried to use it to manage the poor animals pain also cat acupuncturists are a thing WTF
I have seen that study before and believe it is flawed. Practicing Catholics and Evangelicals have a love relationship with their gods and the endorphins produced keeps the pain at a minimum. Like showing you a picture of your lover or spouse (hopefully they are the same person). Classical music will do the same. Want to avoid pain? Don't get hurt in the first place. Hmmmmm.
This was deliberate hurt. Interesting thing to volunteer to be scanned while basically being tortured.
The article says that the Catholics felt one point less pain while observing a photo of the Virgin Mary than when they were observing a secular painting. This is the placebo effect.
But that's no big "whup"..many decades ago, it became popular for dentists to have dental patients wear headphones and listen to music during tooth drilling procedures, and those patients didn't need any, or much less novocaine.
I even did that when when at the dentist while I was still a college student.
Scratching an itch doesn't solve the problem of the itch (insect bite for instance) but it floods the brain with opposing nerve signals. The music playing was an attempt at the same thing. Make the brain get confused so as to not focus on what is happening to the body. I did it as well though I still needed novacaine.
I think it applies to any religion. Basically being religious makes it easier to bear painful things.
If by "It applies to any religion" you are confirming images that trigger positive responses (because of religion upbringing) place the brain in a happier brain state, fine. Classic placebo effect: if you believe it helps you, it helps you. Same things as acupuncture, etc.
As for "religious makes it easier to bear painful things". I find no evidence to support this assertion. A few years ago I cracked a tooth and when the dentist looked at the x-ray and noted: "oh you're in a lot of pain I'll get you some pain killer". I replied, don't bother, pain is just a part of life I'm fine. He was amazed as all of his theistic patients (pretty much everybody in my town including himself he did specify everybody)) would have been demanding pain killers. When I have fillings, I do not use any pain killing and years ago I had minor surgery on my hand - again I refused pain killers. I can't imagine believing in an unfounded supernatural sky-daddy would have made it any easier to bear those physically painful things. As for emotionally pain, I have great deal of pity for those who must delude themselves with the fantasy stories of the supernatural to deal with reality. I could not imagine how such beliefs "could make it easier to bear painful things."
@NoMagicCookie this was a study where they were physically causing pain and using an fMRI to study brain activity and asking patients to rate their pain.