People who enjoy pain: why is it?

There are people who enjoy pain. We talk about what you can experience, for example, by eating spicy food, playing a sport until you are exhausted, getting tattoos or piercings in unexpected places and, of course, being regulars in the sexual practice of BDSM. Is there something special about those who delight in those activities in which pain is present in one way or another?

The fact remains surprising. After all, If there is something we do in our daily lives, it is to avoid any circumstance that leads to suffering. Our brain is programmed to alert us to risks and force us to avoid them.

If we go out for a run and realize that our knee is not responding, the most common thing is to stop. If a food is especially spicy, we tend to moderate its consumption. However, there are the wasabi addicts and the championships to see who can consume the most hot chili in one sitting.

An example of this are also the annual triathlon competitions. Hombre de Hierroin which its participants push their resistance to the limit in very tough tests. It is as if human beings, sometimes, do not differentiate that border between pain and pleasure.. For what is this?

Causes of why there are people who enjoy pain

There are people who enjoy pain and who would also be incapable of living without that cocktail of neurotransmitters that generates this carousel of sensations. Proof of this is what we know as “runner’s euphoria”. In these cases, what these athletes experience is an increase in endorphins and serotonin after performing aerobic exercise for a certain time. This is something we all understand.

Now, what may seem strange to many is that When eating spicy foods (some people) experience the same sensation as with sex, sports or drugs. That neurochemical high is experienced in a way that is as pleasurable as it is addictive.

Even more, the confusion may be greater if we take into account what a research project carried out jointly between several universities tells us. Pain in certain circumstances acts as an enhancer of positive sensations. In turn, it helps us make contact with the world.

Let us now justify these “baffling” reasonings.

Pain and pleasure, two very close sensations

What is the reason why pain -sometimes- acts as a mediator for pleasure? There is a curious fact. Ohio State University conducted research to understand the effects of acetaminophen, an analgesic drug that reduces physical pain.

Something they saw is that those who frequently use this medication do not react to positive experiences. They feel dull. This once again demonstrated something that experts already knew. Often, certain experiences of pain later intensify feelings of well-being.

This is what happens, for example, with runner’s euphoria. It’s also what we feel after an intense afternoon at the gym. In this way, if we ask ourselves why there are people who enjoy pain, we could give several answers.

The first is because often After an experience of pain, the brain’s reward system is activated. Maybe those triathlon events Hombre de Hierro lead the human body to great physical suffering. However, upon finishing them it is common to feel a great rush of endorphins and serotonin. Secondly, there is something obvious. The pain that can later be translated into pleasure is a pain that we control. We know where it comes from, it does not cause us anxiety and we can stop it whenever we want. This is what happens with the sexual practice of BDSM. The participants agree on what is done and how far it goes.

Pain as a learning mechanism

There are people who enjoy pain and that does not mean they are masochists. What’s more, there is another aspect that we cannot forget: pain is the best learning mechanism. For example, we know how to take the tray out of the oven without burning ourselves because, after a few unpleasant experiences, we understand what is better to touch and what is not.

Children also discover how to move and interact with the world through trial and error and also through painful experiences, such as falls. In essence, Pain is an inherent (and necessary) multidimensional psychophysical reality in every living being.

People who enjoy pain: a way of feeling life

Although we may be disconcerted by people who enjoy pain, we have all experienced similar situations to some extent. After a long walk in which we are exhausted, we usually reward ourselves with a smoothie, a beer or an ice cream. These gratifications are always enjoyed more intensely than usual. And what’s more, more intense memories are created.

The same thing happens after situations that generate fear or anxiety (an exam, a doctor’s appointment, the presentation of a work in court…). After these experiences we always tend to give ourselves reinforcement, such as a free afternoon, a special dinner… All those situations in which we have a hard time make us cling more to life.

They reveal to us its intensity, its transcendence, we understand in some way that existence is a constant journey of specific sufferings and joys, of moments of stress and moments of peace. That’s the magic. So much so that We can conclude with thatand “life as such would not be possible without pain.”

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