1. Drink coffee (or other caffeinated drinks)
Every year, in the spring, taking off our winter clothes, we critically look ourselves in the mirror and reluctantly admit that it would be nice to lose a couple of kilograms before the start of the beach season. A saggy tummy makes us lift our cellulite buttocks off the couch and go to the gym, where we pedal, pull dumbbells and die on the treadmill all day. And at the same time, we feel great until the morning of the next day.
The body is not used to such loads: the muscles ache painfully, the back does not unbend, the arms hang like whips. Do not rush to ask loved ones to shoot you, because all this could have been avoided if the body was “warmed up” with caffeine in advance.
Scientists conducted an experiment: the first group of participants was given pills with caffeine, and the dosage of one capsule was equal to about two and a half cups of coffee. The second group received a supposedly pain relieving drug that was actually a placebo. Then the subjects spent the whole day in the gym, actively exercising. As a result, the scientists found that the participants in the experiment who took the pills with caffeine felt much better the next day than their unfortunate counterparts, and were even ready to go to the gym again.
It turns out that advertising is not lying: caffeinated energy drinks can really make us extreme, who can easily overcome any obstacles.
And even if the biggest exercise you can afford is moving your computer mouse, there is good news for you too. In another study, the experimenters asked volunteers to work continuously for an hour and a half at a computer so that after 90 minutes the subjects' neck, shoulders and wrists became numb. It is good that before starting the experiment, the "experimental" was advised to drink coffee. It turned out that those who followed this recommendation experienced much less pain than those who did not. So don't be in a hurry to accuse your colleagues who are constantly sneaking around for coffee of parasitism, perhaps they just have a pain?
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2. Look at the part of the body that hurts
Think back to your last injury - maybe you twisted your leg or cut your toe. How did you feel the moment this happened? Chances are, you are overwhelmed by a completely natural human reaction: “Damn! How painful! I'm going to bleed and die! But instead of panic, you can turn on logic: carefully examine your injuries and assess how serious they are. You can't even imagine how this will dull the pain.
Scientists did the following test: armed with a "magic" mirror and an infrared laser, they "burned" the subjects' right hands, and they looked into the mirror, but saw in it a reflection of the left, not exposed to laser action, hand. In other words, they felt pain, but they saw that everything was in order with their limbs, and the pain subsided! A small nuance: it is imperative to look at your injuries, seeing someone else's "happiness" does not diminish suffering.
The ministers of science still debate whether visual perception of trauma actually lowers the pain threshold, but in any case, a sound assessment of the situation is better than hysteria.
3. Laugh
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night when your own bladder wakes you up. You jump out of bed, rush to the toilet with half-closed eyes … and stumble over the threshold. Pain! Wild unbearable pain! What will you do at such a moment? Of course, after you remember someone's mother and send the door in a known direction, you will cry or go to the toilet downcast. How about a little laugh?
"Laughter is the best medicine," say psychologists. Of course, laughter is unlikely to help dissolve a cancer or stop bleeding, but a sense of humor certainly helps to reduce pain. Laughter helps your brain release endorphins, happiness hormones that have pain-relieving properties that will make you suffer less if you force yourself to laugh at a critical moment.
Scientists conducted a series of tests in which they studied the behavior of volunteers at home and in the laboratory: some of the subjects were asked to watch funny Internet videos, and some were asked to watch boring popular science programs. It turned out that participants in the experiment who laughed at funny videos were much more likely to endure pain than those who delved into serious documentaries. In addition, just 15 minutes of laughter is enough to reduce the pain threshold by as much as 10%.
But for laughter to have a healing effect, you must learn to laugh correctly: you need to laugh heartily, to colic, breathing in the air deeply. And do not pay attention to the sidelong glances from the side - the one who laughs last laughs well.
4. Convince yourself that pain is good
You can relate to neurolinguistic programming in different ways: someone thinks that this is complete nonsense, and someone has experienced the benefits of affirmations. But the fact that the pain of pain is different is a fact. Agree, an aching tooth is an SOS signal indicating serious dental problems, while muscles "suffering" after exercise are just a sign of atrophy, and that is why our brain can perceive pain as a blessing.
To prove this, scientists again took up experiments. They recruited two groups of daredevils, put tourniquets on their hands, thereby limiting the blood flow, and asked them to endure unpleasant sensations as long as they could. At the same time, the first group was told that the test was dangerous for their limbs, and the second, on the contrary, that it would strengthen the muscles: the longer they held out, the more benefit they would get. As a result, the researchers found that the pain threshold was significantly higher in the latter than in the former. The experiment was repeated several times, but the results remained the same: after a few minutes, the "intimidated" participants writhing in pain, and the subjects from the second group endured it, believing that in the end they would get biceps like Schwarzenegger's.
Thus, a little lie to save oneself was very helpful. So the next time you hit your finger instead of a nail, think not about pain, but about the invaluable experience you are gaining.
5. Take a look at something terrible
Imagine yourself in the dentist's chair: trembling with fear, you look at the "torture" instruments, a drill, the sound of which makes you break out in cold, sticky sweat. To distract yourself a little, you look away and see pictures with beautiful landscapes or posters with cute cats on the wall. The doctor took care of you, decorating the office with soothing pictures, but unfortunately, he did not know that in this case horror photographs are much more effective.
Restless scientists conducted the following experiment: they showed the subjects slides depicting people in various life situations - from neutral to catastrophic. Before that, they were asked to put their hand in a tank of ice water and hold it there until they had enough patience. The paradox is that the volunteers who saw the unpleasant pictures endured the pain better than those who admired the flowers.
Remember, if you want to distract someone from the painful sensations, do not turn on "Luntik" for him, it is better to demonstrate the bloodiest scene from "Saw." And do not run away from the dentist's office, decorated with portraits of zombies: most likely, this is a very good specialist who understands not only dentistry, but also psychology.