Sad Movies Help To Reduce Pain
A new study reveals that watching distressing movies may boost our tolerance to pain. Researchers at Oxford University say that movies that get your
emotions going can increase the amount of endorphins released by the brain. These are our body's natural painkillers - chemicals that make us feel better after physical or psychological pain.
Dr. Robin Dunbar and his colleagues conducted a series of tests to determine the effect of the tragic stories have on us. They invited 169 people to participate in the experiment. A group observed a traumatic drama about a disabled man fighting homelessness, drug addiction and alcoholism. Another group watched a documentary about the geology and archeology of Britain. The results showed that, on average, pain tolerance of those who saw the traumatic drama increased by 13.1 percent. This compares to an average decrease in the pain threshold of 4.6 percent for those who saw the documentary. Dr Dunbar suggested one of the reasons why we like to see sad movies is the natural endorphin high.
What kind of movies do you like?
