explain
pain
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1
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Pain relies on context
Part 1
Violinists’ fingers and the pain of grief
S
ensory information, or ‘sensory cues’, (any information
coming from your senses, such as vision and touch) needs to
be evaluated by your nervous system. Evaluation of these cues
involves complexmemory, reasoning and emotional processes,
andmust include consideration of the potential consequences
of a response.
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The context of the pain experience is critical. Here is a simple
example: exactly the sameminor finger injury will causemore
pain in a professional violinist than in a professional
dancer
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because finger damage poses a greater threat to the
violinist. The event plays a greater role in the violinist’s
livelihood and identity. What’smore, it will causemore pain if
it involves the left hand than the right hand. See if you can
work out why by comparing the role of the left and right
fingers. The fingers of which hand are themost important?
Here is another amazing experiment – a painful stimulus will
hurt more if you are told it is hot, than if you are told it is
cold.
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In fact just pairing a painful stimulus with a red light
hurtsmore thanwhen it is pairedwith a blue light.
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It’s not only painwhich relies on context – if someone tickles
you, youmay giggle – it depends onwho tickles you and the
time and place of the tickle.
