Photographs of Loved Ones Have the Power to Dull Pain

Scientists at Stanford have found that looking at pictures of loved ones can reduce pain. The study involved performing MRI scans on the brains of lovestruck students who were subjected to heat pain on their skin while focusing on photographs of their significant others. The results showed that the images have a calming effect on the pain processing parts of the brain — similar to the effects of Tylenol or narcotics like cocaine — and reduced pain by a whopping 36 to 44 percent on average.

Maybe you should think about adding photos of loved ones to your first aid kit at home.


Image credit: Hold Hands by B Tal

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