https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27529-7-easy-ways-to-reduce-the-pain-youre-feeling/
Feeling sore? A new study suggests holding your breath can ease the pain of an injury. But this trick only works if you were expecting pain in the first place, so here are seven other easy – and scientifically sound – ways to relieve your suffering the next time you have an unfortunate encounter with a hammer, drawer or door.
1. Reach for the perfume
The sweet scent of roses is enough to cheer anyone up, but pleasant smells also seem to reduce the intensity of a painful stimulus – for women, at least. In a 2002 study, female volunteers had their hands submerged in painfully hot water, and reported less pain when exposed to pleasant aromas, such as flowers or almonds. When asked to sniff vinegar, however, the women’s pain got worse. The effect didn’t seem to work in male volunteers.
2. Curse like a sailor
(this was a good Mythbusters episode)
If your first response to a stubbed toe is to swear loudly, that’s no bad thing, according to research by a team at Keele University, UK. They found that people were better able to deal with the pain of having their hand submerged in icy water when they swore, perhaps because the bad language triggers a hormonal response that lessens pain. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to work so well in people who already swear a lot.
3. Pick a pretty picture
Penchant for Picasso? Boticelli’s biggest fan? A team of researchers at the University of Bari in Italy found that showing people pictures they found beautiful reduced the pain they felt when a laser burned their hands, and seemed to reduce activity in the brain regions that normally process pain.
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