Contents
Statistics compiled in the US show that years of persistent economic troubles have markedly increased the demand for over-the-counter pain medications. Is there a relationship, scientists decided to check.
American psychologists decided to test the hypothesis that the lack of financial stability and uncertainty about the future, in addition to psychological tension, also leads to physical pain.
Read more:
- Why teenagers hurt themselves
Eileen Chou and Bidhan Parmar, both from the University of Virginia (USA), and Adam Galinsky from Columbia University (USA) suggested that it could be in the processes occurring in the brain associated with feelings the anxiety, fear and stress that come from feeling out of control of your life as a result of economic instability. Research shows that these processes are closely related to the neurobiological mechanisms of physical pain.
Read more:
- Is pain our social glue?
To begin with, the scientists analyzed data from consumer demand surveys, which included a total of 33720 people. They found that families where both adults were unemployed spent an average of 2008% more on pain medication in 20 compared to families where at least one adult had a job. In addition, an Internet survey was conducted, in which 187 people participated. He showed that unemployment and a poor economic situation in the state of residence were correlated with more pain complaints.
The following experiment was carried out in laboratory conditions. Student participants who were asked to imagine a difficult labor market situation were more sensitive to pain (they could spend less time in ice water) compared to those who were asked to imagine a stable labor market.
Read more:
- Is loving sex that hurts an aberration?
“In general, our results show that lack of confidence in the future and financial instability can cause physical suffering. We conducted six studies and found that economic instability causes physical pain, increases sensitivity to pain, and correlates with the use of pain medication,” says Eileen Chou.
At the same time, the researchers note that the relationship between uncertainty about the future and pain is explained precisely by the feeling of losing control over one’s own life. They also emphasize that it is not the objective situation that is decisive, but a person’s subjective ideas about their financial situation.
Подробнее см. Е. Chou et al. «Economic Insecurity Increases Physical Pain», Psychological Science, February 2016.