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Smiling in Pain : Explorations of Its Social Motives
Joint Authors
Lautenbacher, Stefan
Kunz, Miriam
Prkachin, Kenneth
Source
Issue
Vol. 2013, Issue 2013 (31 Dec. 2013), pp.1-8, 8 p.
Publisher
Hindawi Publishing Corporation
Publication Date
2013-08-19
Country of Publication
Egypt
No. of Pages
8
Main Subjects
Abstract EN
Studies of facial responses during experimental and clinical pain have revealed a surprising phenomenon, namely, that a considerable number of individuals respond with a smile.
So far, it is not known why smiling occurs during pain.
It is possible that the “smile of pain” is socially motivated (e.g., reinforcing social bonds while undergoing an unpleasant experience).
The present studies were conducted in an attempt to address the role of social motives in smiling during pain.
In two studies, we varied the quantitative (level of sociality) and qualitative (properties of the relationship between interactants) components of the situations in which participants received painful stimulation.
Participants’ faces were video-recorded and the occurrence of smiling was assessed.
The occurrence of smiling differed depending on stimulus intensity and the properties of the relationship between interactants.
Smiling occurred more often during the painful compared to nonpainful stimulation.
Whereas the presence of a stranger (experimenter) reduced the smiling behavior, the presence of an intimate other increased it.
Slight variations in the level of sociality, however, had no effect on the degree of smiling.
Social motives possibly aimed at strengthening social bonds and thus ensuring social support appear to underlie smiling during pain.
American Psychological Association (APA)
Kunz, Miriam& Prkachin, Kenneth& Lautenbacher, Stefan. 2013. Smiling in Pain : Explorations of Its Social Motives. Pain Research and Treatment،Vol. 2013, no. 2013, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-447861
Modern Language Association (MLA)
Kunz, Miriam…[et al.]. Smiling in Pain : Explorations of Its Social Motives. Pain Research and Treatment No. 2013 (2013), pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-447861
American Medical Association (AMA)
Kunz, Miriam& Prkachin, Kenneth& Lautenbacher, Stefan. Smiling in Pain : Explorations of Its Social Motives. Pain Research and Treatment. 2013. Vol. 2013, no. 2013, pp.1-8.
https://search.emarefa.net/detail/BIM-447861
Data Type
Journal Articles
Language
English
Notes
Includes bibliographical references
Record ID
BIM-447861