I may shrug when a woman’s pronged heel trod on my bare foot while the next adult will roar aghast at an injection. We are all susceptible to physical pain. A neural activity is spurred upon a pressure or cut. But we feel different pain intensity; thus a terrible pain may be a tickling scratch to the other.
Our genes are a determinant of pain tolerance. Red heads are more sensitive to pain possibly due to a mutation in their genes. You encounter pain the way you experience it because that is how you are coded.
Men have higher tolerance than women. Certain researchers claim this to masculine and feminine stereotyping. People with smoking vice and obesity are susceptible to feel more pain while the fit ones can withstand more pain. And as we age, we increase tolerance on cutaneous pain, meaning the pain on our superficial skin. However, older people have decreased tolerance on the deep pain.
How the pain is interpreted has a bigger role in tolerance. It is more psychological than physiological. “Mind over matter”, we heard people say.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Wisconsin revealed the mind power to increase our pain tolerance. In their study, they asked participants to plunge their hand to ice cold water and keep it submerged until the pain is unbearable. Those who are asked to reminisce their sexual fantasies lasted the pain twice as long as those who thought a neutral fantasy like walking.
To combat the negative emotion of pain, think of something that elicits a positive emotion. This will increase your pain tolerance.
What thought will give you a positive emotion?