Dispositional Optimism and Thoughts of Well-Being Determine Sensitivity to an Experimental Pain Task

Abstract

Prior studies with patient samples have found dispositional optimism to be associated with less pain. We examined the relationship between optimism and experimental pain. It was hypothesized that optimists generally cope with a painful stimulus by mentally disengaging from the pain. However, if optimists are prompted to think about health and well-being prior to the painful event, they are more responsive to the pain. Optimists and pessimists were primed with words related to health or with neutral words prior to the cold pressor task. Pain, distress, and cardiovascular reactivity to the cold pressor task were assessed. Dispositional optimism was associated with lower pain sensitivity, distress, and cardiovascular reactivity in the neutral prime condition. In the health prime condition, optimists and pessimists did not differ on any of the dependent measures. Dispositional optimism is associated with reduced pain for healthy adults encountering a brief pain stimulus. This relationship is eliminated, however, when individuals are primed with thoughts of health and well-being. The results are interpreted as evidence for the use of differential coping strategies by optimists in response to pain.