<p>Researchers at the University College London (UCL) and University of Milan-Bicocca also found that magnifying the body portion -- the hand in case of an injection -- to make it appear larger cut pain levels further still.<br /><br />The study, the researchers said, sheds light on how the brain processes pain and a better understanding of this could lead to new treatments, the BBC reported.<br /><br />For their study, which was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the research team recruited 18 volunteers.<br /><br />They applied a heat probe to each participant's hand, gradually increasing the temperature. As soon as this began to feel painful, the probe was removed and the temperature was recorded.<br /><br />Patrick Haggard, professor of cognitive neuroscience from UCL, explained: "This gives us a measure of the pain threshold, and it is a safe and reliable way of testing when the brain pathways that underline pain become active."<br /><br />The scientists then used a set of mirrors to manipulate what the volunteers saw.<br />They found that volunteers could tolerate on average 3C more heat when they were looking at their hand in the mirror, compared with when their hand was obscured by a block of wood.<br /><br />Professor Haggard said: "You always advise children not to look when they are having an injection or a blood sample taken, but we have found that looking at the body is analgesic - just looking at the body reduces pain levels.<br /><br />"So my advice would be to look at your arm, but try to avoid seeing the needle - if that's possible. "<br /><br />In another experiment, the researchers used convex mirrors to enlarge the appearance of the participant's hand. They found that doing so meant the volunteers were able to tolerate higher temperatures.<br /><br />Conversely, when the team made the volunteers' hands look smaller, their pain threshold decreased.<br /><br />The findings, published in Psychological Science, are helping to show how pain is processed in the brain, said the researchers.<br /><br />The fact that pain levels were directly proportional to the size the body was viewed at was helping them to better understand the neurological basis of pain, they added.<br /><br />Lead researcher Dr Flavia Mancini said: "Psychological therapies for pain usually focus on the source of pain, for example by changing expectations or attention.<br /><br />"However, thinking beyond the pain stimulus, to our body itself, may lead to novel clinical treatments."</p>
<p>Researchers at the University College London (UCL) and University of Milan-Bicocca also found that magnifying the body portion -- the hand in case of an injection -- to make it appear larger cut pain levels further still.<br /><br />The study, the researchers said, sheds light on how the brain processes pain and a better understanding of this could lead to new treatments, the BBC reported.<br /><br />For their study, which was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the research team recruited 18 volunteers.<br /><br />They applied a heat probe to each participant's hand, gradually increasing the temperature. As soon as this began to feel painful, the probe was removed and the temperature was recorded.<br /><br />Patrick Haggard, professor of cognitive neuroscience from UCL, explained: "This gives us a measure of the pain threshold, and it is a safe and reliable way of testing when the brain pathways that underline pain become active."<br /><br />The scientists then used a set of mirrors to manipulate what the volunteers saw.<br />They found that volunteers could tolerate on average 3C more heat when they were looking at their hand in the mirror, compared with when their hand was obscured by a block of wood.<br /><br />Professor Haggard said: "You always advise children not to look when they are having an injection or a blood sample taken, but we have found that looking at the body is analgesic - just looking at the body reduces pain levels.<br /><br />"So my advice would be to look at your arm, but try to avoid seeing the needle - if that's possible. "<br /><br />In another experiment, the researchers used convex mirrors to enlarge the appearance of the participant's hand. They found that doing so meant the volunteers were able to tolerate higher temperatures.<br /><br />Conversely, when the team made the volunteers' hands look smaller, their pain threshold decreased.<br /><br />The findings, published in Psychological Science, are helping to show how pain is processed in the brain, said the researchers.<br /><br />The fact that pain levels were directly proportional to the size the body was viewed at was helping them to better understand the neurological basis of pain, they added.<br /><br />Lead researcher Dr Flavia Mancini said: "Psychological therapies for pain usually focus on the source of pain, for example by changing expectations or attention.<br /><br />"However, thinking beyond the pain stimulus, to our body itself, may lead to novel clinical treatments."</p>