Why pain is pleasure

MRI scan reveals how brain processes pain London - Arabstoday Moderate is often pleasurable, a new study by Norwegian researchers has revealed. The researchers say their findings show how the same stimulus can be interpreted very differently, and that the experience is connected to expectation and context. It can explain why some individuals like the burning sensation of eating chilli peppers, for example, while others enjoy sadomasochistic sex. Interestingly, the researchers also believe they have unlocked the key to treating pain and substance abuse. “It is not hard to understand that pain can be interpreted as less severe when an individual is aware that it could have been much more painful. Less expected, however, is the discovery that pain may be experienced as pleasant if something worse has been avoided,” said Siri Leknes, a psychologist at the University of Oslo. To investigate its effect, Leknes recruited 16 healthy subjects and asked them to prepare themselves for a painful experience. They were repeatedly exposed to heat of varying intensity applied to their arm for four seconds.  “As expected, the intense heat triggered negative feelings among all subjects whereas the non-painful heat produced positive reactions,” said Dr Leknes. What intrigued the researchers was the subjects' response to moderate pain. In the experiments where moderate pain was the worst alternative, the pain felt was unpleasant. But in the instances where it was the best alternative, subjects experienced the moderate pain as positive – even comforting. 'The likely explanation is that the subjects were prepared for the worst and thus felt relieved when they realised the pain was not going to be as bad as they had feared. In other words, a sense of relief can be powerful enough to turn such an obviously negative experience as pain into a sensation that is comforting or even enjoyable,” said Dr Leknes.