When most of us are about to experience a painful event, like a needle injection or bandage removal from a sensitive area on our body, conventional wisdom tells us to look away in order to reduce our suffering. Now, it seems that this may not be the best approach.

That is because new research in the field of pain has revealed that keeping your eyes fixed on the region of your body where the pain occurs may actually reduce the severity of the event. In other words, what you look at may actually affect how much pain you feel.

In the study in question, published in the journal Psychological Science, researchers focused on the hands of study subjects and uncovered new information regarding the science of how our brains process pain. The data will hopefully lead to new and more effective ways to manage pain.

Recruiting 18 volunteer test subjects, researchers subjected their hands to heat generated from a probe, gradually raising the temperature along with the level of discomfort. At the point where the subjects began to feel pain, the probe was removed and the temperature noted. From this information, a pain threshold was established that would help scientists better understand the pathways whereby pain becomes active.

The visual aspects of the administration of pain were then manipulated by the use of mirrors of objects that would obscure the subject's field of vision. What researchers found was that when subjects viewed their hands (but not the heat source) in the mirror, they were able to tolerate a higher average temperature than when they could not see their hand.

In another set of experiments, convex mirrors were employed that enlarged the view of the hands. This, in turn, led to an even higher tolerance of pain (temperature). Conversely, when concave mirrors were used, making the hand look smaller, the opposite was observed and subjects were less tolerant of pain.

The authors of the study theorize that seeing the body part in question may have an analgesic effect on the body, thereby reducing pain levels associated with the experience. They recommend that when a painful event occurs, like an injection, it may be helpful to look at the area nearby without actually looking at the needle going into the body.

The findings shed new light on our understanding of pain, and more specifically, the neurological basis of pain. Scientists have some level of understanding as to how these signals travel to the brain, but less about how the brain processes them once they get there. Apparently, the visual aspects of the process can be important.

Researchers hope that the data will help to develop new ways to treat chronic pain, which affects an estimated 50 million people in this country every year. If you are experiencing chronic pain, speak with your doctor as soon as possible.

For more information, visit the website for the National Library of Medicine.

This post was included in the latest Total Mind and Body Fitness Blog Carnival.