London: The next time you get a jab, do not look away, for a new study has found that looking at your body -- in this case the hand -- during a painful event could actually reduce the pain experienced.
A team from University College London and University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy, has carried out the study and found watching a painful procedure can make it hurt less, the latest edition of the 'Psychological Science' journal reported.
Flavia Mancini, the first author of the study, said: "The image that the brain forms of our own body has a strong effect on the experienced level of pain. Moreover, the way the body is represented influences the level of pain experienced."
In the study, involving 18 volunteers, researchers applied a heat probe to each participant's hand, gradually increasing the temperature. As soon as this began to feel painful, the probe was removed and temperature was recorded.
Patrick Haggard of UCL, the study's co-author, said, "This gives us a measure of the pain threshold, and it is a safe and reliable way of testing when the brain pathways that underline pain become active."
The team then used a set of mirrors to manipulate what the volunteers saw. The researchers found that volunteers could tolerate on average 3C more heat when they were looking at their hand in the mirror, compared with when their hand was
obscured by a block of wood.
Prof Haggard said: "You always advise children not to look when they are having an injection or a blood sample taken, but we have found that looking at the body is analgesic -- just looking at the body reduces pain levels.
"So my advice would be to look at your arm, but try to avoid seeing the needle -- if that's possible."
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