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Looking at a Loved One’s Photo Takes Away Pain as Well as Drugs

A new study shows that looking at a photo of a loved one can reduce pain just as well as drugs.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on March 02 2011

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Have a headache? Instead of an aspirin, try looking at a photo of your partner to soothe your pain. According to a new study from Stanford University, a visual aid can work just as well as drugs in numbing pain receptors.

Researchers tested subjects by applying various levels of heat pain to their skin as the subjects stared at pictures of their sweethearts. The lovestruck subjects’ pain was reduced by between 36 and 44 percent, said neuroscientist Jarred Younger. In fact, a lover’s gaze—even in photo form—provided the same fix as the most potent addictives.

“One of the key sites for love-induced analgesia is the nucleus accumbens, a key reward addiction centre for opioids, cocaine and other drugs of abuse,” said Younger.

“The region tells the brain that you really need to keep doing this. This tells us that you don’t have to just rely on drugs for pain relief. People are feeling intense rewards without the side effects of drugs.”

Another study in which women held the hand of either a stranger or a romantic partner while in pain found that the women felt less pain while holding a partners’ hand—but this new study proves that even a symbol of a loved one can do the trick. Maybe love doesn’t hurt, after all.

Filed under: Health and Wellbeing, Science,

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