More studies are exposing that nature can soothe the mind and body, but new research shows that idyllic outdoor scenes may also soothe a more visceral type of pain.
“From past studies we know that being in contact with nature is associated with this very broad range of beneficial effects for human physical and mental health,” says Maximilian Steininger, an environmental neuroscientist at the University of Vienna.
But since this past research relied on participants self-reporting their pain, there were potential biases. It was difficult to tell if nature was causing a kind of placebo effect — a purely psychological effect — or whether pain was quantitatively reduced. To understand this better, in a study published recently in Nature Communications, Steininger and his colleagues first had to determine a way to measure pain.
Measuring Pain with Nature Scenes
The team found several dozen paid volunteers and administered shocks to their hands in increasing intensity — Steininger self-administered the test a few times to make sure it worked. Once a participant described a shock level as painful but bearable, researchers would dial the intensity back a few notches and work with that level for the rest of the experiment.
