Pain – Drug From Conscience

Researchers from the University of Queensland wanted to see how justified, that people often choose a pain to deal with his conscience after committing immoral acts. It would seem that the Middle Ages are long gone and people have found new ways of solving such problems. However, the last time, humanity is increasingly returning to the ancient ways of resolving moral conflicts.

Should not be viewed as a process of penance pain associated exclusively with religion, or as an alternative religious practices. The question in goal, and the pain – just a means to achieve it. In response to a crime committed before himself an individual burns with desire to cause yourself pain. That such an idea is trying to convey Dr. Brock Bastian, author of the study, released in the journal Psychological Science.

“All methods, when a person punishes himself, must be some kind of psychological function. It would be strange that people would be willing to continue that practice, which has no benefits for his spiritual development “, – says Bastian.

“The most intriguing in our study was precisely the fact that the punishment actually reduces the feeling of guilt, that is, pain is a pleasure to redemption” – continues scientist.

The researchers collected for the experiment group of 62 people (men and women). The experiment consisted of the following: the participants were asked to describe two types of life situations in which they fell. Every time they are during the day described a new case of negative communication with other people in his diary, they are instructed to drop his hand in a bucket of ice to the elbow and keep it there as long as they can. The same people who wrote about the positive experience of interaction, offering his hand down in a bucket of warm water (36-38 degrees).

Participants in the experiment, who wrote about his unethical behavior, despite the absence of any pressure from scientists, holding hands in ice water for longer than participants lowered their hands in warm water. As explained by Bastian: “This fact proves that the people who are feeling uncomfortable, like they have and that is why holding hands in buckets of cold water longer.”

That is, it turns out that self-inflicted pain can be treated the individual as a penance, to correct erroneous actions, or it may look like a way to communicate to other members of society (or God, if the individual is a religious man) of his own repentance, or even a romanticizes the fact that the punishment – a test of possession advantage.

“There is a suspicion that such a positive attitude to pain – it is something more than religious beliefs, that is, it seems to me that this is something very ancient that has been adapted by all the religions of the world from the experiences of our ancestors,” – said the scientist.

Here, however, suggests an alternative hypothesis to explain the results of this experiment. How long have proved psychoanalysis, people are prone to aggression, the antisocial behavior, often destructive, and against themselves. The paradox is that the sadism – the flip side of masochism and even derived from it. Thus, self-flagellation of any property can be viewed as latent aggression towards others.