QuickCheck: Can holding money help relieve pain?


Money isn’t everything, but it sure is nice to have.

However, wealth does not always translate to psychological or physical well-being... or does it?

Cold, hard cash may play an unusual role in pain management as it is said holding or merely thinking about money can help alleviate physical and mental pain.

Is this true?

VERDICT:

TRUE

The notion that money could have a pain-diminishing effect draws partly on psychological research that links money with a sense of security and self-efficacy.

Psychologist Kathleen D. Vohs studied this effect in a paper titled "The Mere Thought of Money

Makes You Feel Less Pain" and found that “the effect of handling money was quite pronounced” across two painful scenarios.

In one, subjects were asked to dip their hands in extremely hot water – causing physical pain. In the other, subjects were asked to play a computer game wherein they would be intentionally excluded by other players – this induces mental distress.

Professor Vohs’ study found that subjects who physically handled money before undergoing the painful scenarios reported significantly less physical pain, distress or feelings of social exclusion, as opposed to subjects who handled regular paper.

The study went on to explain that the “money effect” was so strong that even mental reminders of money produced similar results.

However, this effect also worked in reverse: participants who were asked to envision spending money, such as by listing down their recent expenses, consistently reported feeling more pain in the subsequent test scenarios.

Professor Vohs added that her team was not able to replicate the effect with other "valuable" items, such as credit cards and jewellery. This suggests that it is unique to cash, showing how deep-rooted and important the concept of money is in modern society.

“Having money makes us feel strong. Lacking it makes us feel weak. [...] Money has its issues, but it can be an amazingly powerful source of strength. If it’s better understood, we can change ourselves and our whole culture,” said Professor Vohs.

Next time, instead of painkillers, try asking your doctor for a few RM100 bills.

Sources:

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02353.x?icid=int.sj-full-text.similar-articles.4

2. https://hbr.org/2010/03/defend-your-research-the-mere-thought-of-money-makes-you-feel-less-pain

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Next In True Or Not

QuickCheck: Was a school kid rescued from being hit by a runaway lorry in Sabah?
QuickCheck: Is EPF allowing withdrawals of up to RM10,000 in conjunction with Ramadan?
QuickCheck: Is it true that dogs age 7 years with every human year?
QuickCheck: Is the T'gganu govt's i-Fitri aid programme open as claimed?
QuickCheck: Did an 'elevated highway opening ceremony' hoax circulate in Negri Sembilan?
QuickCheck: Was Franz Liszt the world’s first ‘rock star’?
QuickCheck: Was a live bomb discovered near a factory in Kinarut?
QuickCheck: Is it true that you can’t donate blood if you have tattoos?
QuickCheck: Is the ‘divide’ between East and West Berlin visible from space?
QuickCheck: Were foreign predatory fish species detected in Terengganu waters?

Others Also Read