Social threat hurts! : the influence of social threat on pain

TL;DRAbstract

In the field of pain research, the intrapersonal threat of pain has been widely investigated. As the threat value of pain increases, so does pain appear to become more aversive. Much less is known however about how interpersonal/social threats impact pain experience and expression. Evidence from social and health psychology suggests that social threat can have a severe impact on health. In this article different forms of social threat are related to existing models of pain. Four forms of social threat are distinguished on the basis of the target and nature of the social threat. The evidence for an effect of each form of social threat effects on pain are reviewed in the light of the existing models. Suggestions are made for alternative models from other fields of research that may prove useful in investigating and explaining social threat effects on pain.

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