Cognitive activity and suggestions for analgesia in the reduction of reported pain.

Pain magnitude and pain tolerance for arm immersion in ice water were assessed during a baseline and posttest session. Before the posttest half the subjects received (and half did not receive) an analgesia suggestion. On the basis of their written testimony, subjects were classified as having either predominantly coped (e.g., imagined events inconsistent with pain; made positive self-statements) or predominantly exaggerated (e.g., worried about and exaggerated the noxious aspects of the situation) during each immersion. On both immersions copers reported less pain and exhibited higher pain tolerance than exaggerators. Moreover, the suggestion was associated with reductions in reported pain only when it transformed baseline exaggerators into posttest copers. Theoretical implications are discussed.