Shout it out: vocalizing pain helps ease it

Shouting “Ow!” or “Ouch!” can ease the feeling of pain. Researchers from the National University of Singapore, experimenting with pain and pain thresholds, maintain that shouting “Ow!” when in pain can substantially reduce the intensity of the soreness. Hence the act of vocalizing pain is therapeutic (Journal of Pain, January 2015).

Researchers conducted experiments by observing participants plunge their hands into extremely cold water. Some participants were allowed to vocalize what they felt, while others were not (they had to remain silent). Participants were requested to hold their hands in the freezing water for as long as possible.

The results showed that the group of participants that were allowed to vocalize their feelings were able to keep their hands in the cold water for up to three minutes longer than the participants who were silent.

Researchers hypothesized that the muscle movements when vocalizing pain somehow divert or confuse the pain signals from entering or registering in the brain. It was also noted that the word “Ow!” is instinctive from birth across all languages. However the researchers are still unsure exactly why or how vocalizing pain helps ease it. They just know that it does.

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