Senses

[ed84c]

Some senses are bad such as pain, some are good such as nice food.

 

But at the end of the day, they're simply electrical impulses interpreted by the brain. Its a bit hard to get your head round but, why do we dislike pain? or like a nice taste?, there both 2 different sensations, however one we are taught to dislike, and one we are taught to like. Its not a very tangible idea, but why do we dislike pain? Im not talking about evolutionary advantage, or why we should want to im talking about what it is that the brain does, to make a sensation "bad" or "good", because they are both still sensations.

 

Secondly, is it possible to change our perspectives, i know peoples taste in food changes, but thats due to tounge cells dying. Could we learn to "like" pain? Could we learn to find the pain sensation pleasurable? I dont mean as a race, but for people in shows and the likes, who like to perform such feats. However, at the moment, these people are "blocking out", the pain, rather than enjoying the sensation they are getting from it.

[Bettina]

I thought pain was part of the bodys defenses. Not likes or dislikes, and BTW way should I learn to enjoy pain?

 

Bettina

[Nevermore]

I thought pain was part of the bodys defenses. Not likes or dislikes' date=' and BTW way should I learn to enjoy pain?

 

Bettina[/quote']

I agree. It is quite important to dislike pain. Otherwise people would seek injury.

As for enjoying nice food, back in the day of cave men, the better somthing tasted, the better it was for you. e.g. cheeries are better for you than mud.

[Mokele]

Could we learn to "like" pain? Could we learn to find the pain sensation pleasurable?

 

As I often say, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but whips and chains excite me."

 

Mokele

[klanger]

I dont think its so much that we learn to like pain as learn to tolerate a certain amount of pain.

 

For instance how many adults do you know that go into full on hysterical screaming and crying when they get the flu jab? Yet babies do when they get their immunisations (bar those unfortunate babies that are born with no sence of pain).

 

Pain is an important sense, it allows us to know the difference between feeling fine and feeling ill, it is a danger sign for us, just as the hairs rising on the back of your neck is a danger sign and allows us to control the situation to some degree.

 

If there were no pain sensations for everyone it could be life threatening and you wouldnt know, women would be having babies where they stand, a man cleaning windows that falls off the ladder could be bleeding internally from a torn spleen and wouldnt know.

 

Do we like pain? Well other than people that are into S+M who actually enjoy the pain for control, be it in their hands or someone elses, yeah I think we do like the sensation of pain, I dont enjoy pain, but I do like having it, it allows me to know the difference between feeling good and feeling that something is wrong or needs attention within me.

[Auburngirl05]

I recently read Animals in Translation by Temple Grandin, and she talks about how issues related to how animals process pain, and she pointed out that there is a difference in pain and suffering . Apparently they involve two different parts of the brain, and in humans those two are extremely linked, she talked about people who suffered from chronic pain resorting to a procedure similar to a lobotomy (I think it was called a leucotomy?). It involves the destruction of some of those connections. Afterwards, they said they could still feel the pain, but they were almost cheerful about it, they weren't bothered at all after the pathway to their processing centers for 'suffering' was disconnected.

[ed84c]

I understand the use in disliking pain, but im wondering not why has our body decided to dislkie pain, but more, what is it that makes us dislike pain?

[5614]

It is the body's warning system that something is wrong.

 

So for example take a hammer and hit yourself over the head with it (don't try this at home) and your body will realise that you are putting yourself in potential danger and will therefore (if you still procede to hit yourself) make you feel a lot of pain in the hope that you do not hit yourself again.

 

Think about what pain actually is... it's the nerves receiving a signal (from being touched or smacked with a hammer) and sending a signal along a path to the brain, which then interprets it. Obviously the difference between being stroked and hit with a hammer is quite different and consequently results in the nerves sending a different signal which is interpretted differently by the brain.

 

I suppose the obvious thing to ask is whether pain is real, or just your brain telling you something.

[[Tycho?]]

I understand the use in disliking pain, but im wondering not why has our body decided to dislkie pain, but more, what is it that makes us dislike pain?

 

This seems to be a bit of a circular question. Pain by definition is something that is unpleasant. If we liked it, it would no longer be pain. We dislike pain because it serves a defensive purpose.

[Phi for All]

one we are taught to dislike, and one we are taught to like.... Secondly, is it possible to change our perspectives

I think most of sensation is perception. Take smell, for instance. We are taught to react to certain smells in certain ways, rather than simply treating them as smells. If you change your perception of a smell it becomes simply information. Our perception can make us gag from some smells because we are so conditioned. Policemen and medical examiners who come in contact with weeks-old dead bodies learn to block away the perception of what it smells like so they can do their jobs without getting ill every time.

 

Many tastes are "acquired" as well. Think of the things you started out hating the taste of which you like or even love now. Your perceptions change, not the taste.