Understanding the Moderators of Physical and Emotional Pain: A Neural Systems-Based Approach

Zhou and Gao (this issue) put forth an interesting hypothesis, namely, that money, in addition to social support, can reduce the experience of physical pain. Their hypothesis is based on the premise that social support is a “primary pain buffer”—in other words, social support is valued because it reduces the experience of pain—and that money is a secondary pain buffer that can reduce pain experience when one’s social support system has failed and is no longer there to act as a buffer. Though the authors’ creative analysis is admirable and the hypothesized implications of their research are significant, I propose an alternative theoretical framework for understanding how both social support and money may reduce pain processes. Specifically, I will take a neural systems approach to examine why and how social support and money can alleviate physical pain. To do this, I outline a theoretical model suggesting that one reason that social support may reduce physical pain is because there is an overlap in the neural systems that support physical and “social pain”— the distressing experience resulting from broken social bonds. (Eisenberger & Lieberman, 2004; Eisenberger, Lieberman, & Williams, 2003). In describing this model, I will also review some of the important differences between experiences of physical and emotional pain. Last, I will propose that money or the desire for money may actually tap into a different neural system than social support and that this separate neural system may produce reductions in physical pain through different neural mechanisms. I will then suggest that if this is the case, other stimuli, in addition to money, that tap into this second system, should also be effective in pain management.