Link between Mind & Body: Social Pain

A great debate will, with the passing of time, strengthen its opposing sides and become more and more controversial. Such is the case with the Mind-Body connection. Many believe in the mind’s many characteristics, even though no physical presentation has ever really been determined. Others are not at all convinced and would rather do away with the concept of the mind completely. Feelings and emotions are one characteristic of the mind. One feels emotions and certain biological responses occur. But just how close is the connection between mind and body? Experiments have been replicated to show just how close the link is.

A relatively new study shows the close connection between emotional pain and physical pain. Physical pain can be tracked to its responding point in the human brain. Any type of pain, despite the level of severity, causes the activation of specific parts key in determining physical distress. What many were curious to find was what areas were activated in result to emotional distress. After conducting various experiments it was interesting to see that both physical and emotional pain activated the same brain region.

They tested emotional pain by using individuals who had recently suffered a non-planned breakup in their relationship and they also used a method of social rejection. If you have ever felt left out of a group or situation, you understand it is followed by anger possibly, but also a high level of emotional pain –feelings hurt, in other words-. Social pain, as it is called, has the exact same effect as when suffering from physical pain.

The experimenters not only searched MRI images for the activated brain region, they also tested the effects of the famous pain-relieving drug acetaminophen, Tylenol, on “emotional” pain. Some were given Tylenol before being exposed to emotionally distressful situations ,while others were given a placebo. Those who had in fact taken the actual medication reported less cases of "hurt" feelings, thus proving Tylenol's effect on not only physical pain, but also emotional.

 

 

This experiment shows the link between body and mind, the physical and the emotional. It's close relation narrows the gap between those on opposing sides. It gives hope that our mind is real and that it is closely in synchronization with our biology. The only drawback to this finding would be that of any medicated drug; are there side effects, is it safe for long term use, is it causing a chemical imbalance worse than the emotional pain it sought out to alleviate? There are many questions to be answered before we get completely comfortable with the idea of a miracle drug used to treat a broken heart. We need to also take into consideration the current removal of Tylenol in major retail stores and also the lawsuits involving Tylenol. There is much useful information, but there is still much more to research and many issues to resolve.