• Question: I’ve heard people talking about how pain is relative to a persons memory of pain they have experienced in the past (if that makes sense) is this true?

    Asked by anon-269704 to Joanna on 16 Nov 2020.
    • Photo: Joanna McParland

      Joanna McParland answered on 16 Nov 2020:

      Hi Gary. Thanks for your question. Yes, some people report certain things to be more painful than others and relate this to painful experiences they have had in the past. For example, a woman might report that childbirth is the most painful experience she has encountered and so, compared to that, hitting a toe again is less painful. In this way, our memory for painful experiences can affect how we report experiencing painful stimuli.

Comments

  • Photo: Parise

    Parise commented on :

    There is some research which suggests that chronic (long term) pain is linked to short term memory problems. It does also seem that chronic pain can impact upon memory too, so I think this is an area that people are still trying to figure out. For example, why people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) experience ‘brain fog’ which includes short term memory loss and difficulty concentrating.