The Effect of Nature on Pain Perception
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Psychology
Minor
History
2nd Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
2nd Student Major
Psychology
3rd Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Junior
3rd Student Major
Psychology
3rd Student Minor
Biological Science
Institution
Northern Kentucky University
KY House District #
67
KY Senate District #
24
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Kimberly Breitenbecher, Ph.D.; Kathleen Fuegen, Ph.D.
Department
Dept. of Psychological Science
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nature on perception of pain. Previous research has indicated that focusing on pleasant stimuli leads to increased pain tolerance. Previous research has also indicated that patients in hospitals recovering from surgery had shorter stays and fewer surgical complications when their windows faced trees and nature in comparison to those whose windows faced a wall. We examined whether images of nature altered perceptions of pain more than pleasant non-nature images. Participants were randomly assigned to condition. Participants in the nature condition viewed a six-minute slideshow of pleasant nature images (e.g., trees, flowers, clouds). Participants in the pleasant, non-nature condition viewed a six-minute slideshow of pleasant, non-nature images (e.g., clowns, balloons, money). Participants in the control condition read neutral text from a style manual for six minutes. After completing this task, each participant was asked to submerge her hand in a refrigerated bath (water temperature = 4°C). The researcher recorded pain threshold (the elapsed time when the participant first felt pain) and pain tolerance (the total time the participant left her hand submerged). After removing her hand, the participant completed ratings of pain intensity, unpleasantness, and distress. We hypothesized that pain threshold and pain tolerance would be greatest among those who had viewed the pleasant, nature slideshow. We hypothesized that pain threshold and pain tolerance would be lowest among those who had read the neutral text. These results show that it may be beneficial for hospitals to incorporate more nature scenes such as windows or indoor plants into their facilities to improve patients’ pain perceptions while hospitalized. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological method of pain management.
The Effect of Nature on Pain Perception
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of nature on perception of pain. Previous research has indicated that focusing on pleasant stimuli leads to increased pain tolerance. Previous research has also indicated that patients in hospitals recovering from surgery had shorter stays and fewer surgical complications when their windows faced trees and nature in comparison to those whose windows faced a wall. We examined whether images of nature altered perceptions of pain more than pleasant non-nature images. Participants were randomly assigned to condition. Participants in the nature condition viewed a six-minute slideshow of pleasant nature images (e.g., trees, flowers, clouds). Participants in the pleasant, non-nature condition viewed a six-minute slideshow of pleasant, non-nature images (e.g., clowns, balloons, money). Participants in the control condition read neutral text from a style manual for six minutes. After completing this task, each participant was asked to submerge her hand in a refrigerated bath (water temperature = 4°C). The researcher recorded pain threshold (the elapsed time when the participant first felt pain) and pain tolerance (the total time the participant left her hand submerged). After removing her hand, the participant completed ratings of pain intensity, unpleasantness, and distress. We hypothesized that pain threshold and pain tolerance would be greatest among those who had viewed the pleasant, nature slideshow. We hypothesized that pain threshold and pain tolerance would be lowest among those who had read the neutral text. These results show that it may be beneficial for hospitals to incorporate more nature scenes such as windows or indoor plants into their facilities to improve patients’ pain perceptions while hospitalized. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a non-pharmacological method of pain management.