Correlation Between Pain Endurance Ability and Psychopath Tendencies Revealed
Maintaining Original Beliefs Without Change Despite Suffering Pain
A study revealing the correlation between people who tolerate pain well and psychopaths has been published. On the 11th (local time), the British Daily Mail reported, "Dr. Dimana Atanasova's research team at Radboud University in the Netherlands published a paper revealing the correlation between pain tolerance and psychopathic tendencies in the recent issue of the journal Communications Psychology."
The study found that participants with high psychopathic tendencies tolerated pain well but lacked the ability to learn from painful experiences. Generally, people change their behavior based on negative experiences, but those with psychopathic tendencies often ignore pain easily and repeat the same behaviors.
To confirm the correlation between psychopathic tendencies and pain tolerance, the research team conducted two experiments. First, 106 participants completed a questionnaire assessing psychopathic traits such as lack of empathy and impulsivity. Then, electrodes were attached to their arms, and they received electric shocks of gradually increasing intensity. During this process, the point at which participants first felt pain and the maximum tolerable intensity were recorded. It was found that individuals with higher psychopathic tendencies endured stronger pain than average people. Some even withstood the machine's maximum current of 9.99mA.
Next, participants played a game where they chose one of two colored cards. Initially, they had 160 chances to select cards, with each choice resulting in a reward or penalty of 0.10 euros (about 140 won). However, in the subsequent card game, electric shocks were administered instead of rewards. Participants were completely unaware of this rule beforehand, and the key was to observe how pain influenced their behavior modification.
In this experiment, participants with high psychopathic tendencies repeatedly chose the same cards despite receiving electric shocks. This is interpreted as the so-called "belief resetting" phenomenon, a psychological tendency to revert to previous beliefs or behavior patterns even after experiencing negative outcomes or pain. The research team stated in the journal, "Enduring pain is not necessarily positive, and feeling less pain or easily ignoring it can be an important clue in explaining the risks associated with certain personality types."
Dr. Atanasova said, "The fundamental cause of people with psychopathic tendencies is their insensitivity to others' pain," adding, "They tend to stick to their original beliefs rather than learning lessons from painful experiences."
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