Nov

Remember those inspirational baby animal posters that were popular in the 80s, the ones with impossibly cute kittens and feel-good, keep-your-chin-up-slugger slogans? My dentist always had a few taped to the ceiling of his office, right above the chair, so patients could stare at them while he was poking around in their mouths.

Turns out he was on to something: a small study from the University of Montreal has found that emotions can affect how we react to pain. Thirteen subjects were subjected to small electrical shocks (oh, the things university students will do for $20) while looking at a series of images that were either pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. The result? Subjects felt more discomfort when looking at unpleasant pics, leading researchers to suggest that photography and music be used to help alleviate pain in medical settings. Talk about a great business opportunity for LOLcats.

Body Talk