Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception
Abstract Minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure are conflicting motivations when pain and reward co-occur. Decisions to prioritize reward consumption or pain avoidance are assumed to lead to pain inhibition or facilitation, respectively. Such decisions are a function of the subjective utility of th...
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2017-08-01
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08454-4 |
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doaj-3d0cdc7cbbe34fb9ba80c4cec01fe96b2020-12-08T03:15:47ZengNature Publishing GroupScientific Reports2045-23222017-08-017111010.1038/s41598-017-08454-4Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perceptionSusanne Becker0Wiebke Gandhi1Yan Jun Chen2Petra Schweinhardt3Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill UniversityAlan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill UniversityAlan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill UniversityAlan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain, McGill UniversityAbstract Minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure are conflicting motivations when pain and reward co-occur. Decisions to prioritize reward consumption or pain avoidance are assumed to lead to pain inhibition or facilitation, respectively. Such decisions are a function of the subjective utility of the stimuli involved, i.e. the relative value assigned to the stimuli to compare the potential outcomes of a decision. To test perceptual pain modulation by varying degrees of motivational conflicts and the role of subjective utility, we implemented a task in which healthy volunteers had to decide between accepting a reward at the cost of receiving a nociceptive electrocutaneous stimulus or rejecting both. Subjective utility of the stimuli was assessed by a matching task between the stimuli. Accepting reward coupled to a nociceptive stimulus resulted in decreased perceived intensity, while rejecting the reward to avoid pain resulted in increased perceived intensity, but in both cases only if a high motivational conflict was present. Subjective utility of the stimuli involved moderated these bidirectional perceptual effects: the more a person valued money over pain, the more perceived intensity increased or decreased. These findings demonstrate pain modulation when pain and reward are simultaneously present and highlight the importance of subjective utility for such modulation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08454-4 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Susanne Becker Wiebke Gandhi Yan Jun Chen Petra Schweinhardt |
spellingShingle |
Susanne Becker Wiebke Gandhi Yan Jun Chen Petra Schweinhardt Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception Scientific Reports |
author_facet |
Susanne Becker Wiebke Gandhi Yan Jun Chen Petra Schweinhardt |
author_sort |
Susanne Becker |
title |
Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception |
title_short |
Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception |
title_full |
Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception |
title_fullStr |
Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception |
title_full_unstemmed |
Subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception |
title_sort |
subjective utility moderates bidirectional effects of conflicting motivations on pain perception |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
series |
Scientific Reports |
issn |
2045-2322 |
publishDate |
2017-08-01 |
description |
Abstract Minimizing pain and maximizing pleasure are conflicting motivations when pain and reward co-occur. Decisions to prioritize reward consumption or pain avoidance are assumed to lead to pain inhibition or facilitation, respectively. Such decisions are a function of the subjective utility of the stimuli involved, i.e. the relative value assigned to the stimuli to compare the potential outcomes of a decision. To test perceptual pain modulation by varying degrees of motivational conflicts and the role of subjective utility, we implemented a task in which healthy volunteers had to decide between accepting a reward at the cost of receiving a nociceptive electrocutaneous stimulus or rejecting both. Subjective utility of the stimuli was assessed by a matching task between the stimuli. Accepting reward coupled to a nociceptive stimulus resulted in decreased perceived intensity, while rejecting the reward to avoid pain resulted in increased perceived intensity, but in both cases only if a high motivational conflict was present. Subjective utility of the stimuli involved moderated these bidirectional perceptual effects: the more a person valued money over pain, the more perceived intensity increased or decreased. These findings demonstrate pain modulation when pain and reward are simultaneously present and highlight the importance of subjective utility for such modulation. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-08454-4 |
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