Research from University College London (UK) reveals that crossing your arms after being burned or hit relieves pain . As the authors of the study explain in the journal Pain , when crossing the upper extremities over the body, the brain becomes confused about the origin of the pain . The strategy is especially effective when pain is felt in the hands , says Giandomenico Iannetti, head of the study.
To reach this conclusion, Iannetti and his colleagues worked with a dozen subjects who were provoked pain using a laser for milliseconds, without touching them. The analyzed people classified the intensity of the pain they felt, and at the same time the electrical responses of the brain were measured through electroencephalograms. The results showed that the pain was less when the arms were crossed over the middle part of the body.
The researchers attribute it to conflicting information between the two hemispheres of the brain . "When we cross our arms, the two maps are not activated simultaneously, and the processing of sensory information becomes less effective, including pain, which is perceived with less intensity", clarifies Iannetti.
The study could lead to new therapies to treat pain by "confusing" the brain.
