Delayed costs of suppressed pain.
Abstract
The study demonstrates that the rebound effect of thought suppression (Wegner, 1989) has an analog in the experience of somatic discomfort. During a cold-pressor pain induction, 63 Ss were instructed either to concentrate on their room at home (distraction), to pay close attention to their hand sensations (monitoring), or to remove awareness of those sensations from mind (suppression). Two min of postpressor pain ratings showed that monitoring produced the most rapid recovery from the pain and that suppression produced the slowest. Suppression also contaminated the interpretation of a subsequent somatic stimulation; later in the experimental hour, Ss who had suppressed their cold-pressor discomfort rated an innocuous vibration as more unpleasant than did other Ss. The strategies are discussed for their necessarily distinct processes of goal evaluation and their possibly differential drain on perceived coping capacities.
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Suppression strategies tend to backfire, producing a paradoxical rise in the unwanted experience and in physiological arousal.
“Studies have consistently shown that suppression strategies have counterproductive effects because they typically lead to a paradoxical increase in the unwanted experience and physiological arousal (Cioffi & Holloway, 1993; Gross, 1998; Gross & Levenson, 1997; Wegner & Gold, 1995; Wegner & Zanakos, 1994).”
From How to handle anxiety: The effects of reappraisal, acceptance, and suppression strategies on anxious arousal (2009) · cites this paper as Cioffi & Holloway, 1993
Experiential avoidance worsens negative affect over the long term.
“Experiential avoidance exacerbates negative affect in the long-term (Cioffi & Holloway, 1993; Campbell-Sills, Barlow, Brown, & Hofmann, 2006; Marx & Sloan, 2002)”
From Impact of dialectical behavior therapy versus community treatment by experts on emotional experience, expression, and acceptance in borderline personality disorder (2014) · cites this paper as Cioffi & Holloway, 1993
Asking participants to focus on sensations during painful stimulation increases task persistence.
“Asking participants to focus on sensations during painful stimulation increases task persistence (e.g., Cioffi & Holloway, 1993).”
From Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Contextual Behavioral Science: Examining the Progress of a Distinctive Model of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy (2013) · cites this paper as Cioffi & Holloway, 1993
Experimental data show paradoxical effects of trying to suppress pain experiences.
“experimental data showing paradoxical effects of trying to suppress such experiences”
Research demonstrates that distraction or attempts to remove pain from attention are not reliably effective and can even result in greater pain.
“Research demonstrates that distraction or attempts to remove pain from attention are not reliably effective and can even result in greater pain.”
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References 47 · Cited by 361
- Authors
- Cioffi, D., & Holloway, J.
- Affiliations
- Dartmouth College (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- Published
- 1993
- Volume
- 64
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 274-282
- ISSN
- 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1315
- OpenAlex
- W1988797741
- Cited by
- 361
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 16
- FWCI
- 2.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Pain Management and Placebo Effect
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Pediatric Pain Management Techniques
- Keywords
- thought suppression, rebound effect, pain inhibition, cold pressor pain, monitoring, distraction, pain recovery, coping capacity, goal evaluation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention, Awareness, Defense Mechanisms, Female, Humans, Male, Pain, Pain Measurement, Repression, Psychology, Cost of Illness, Pain Threshold
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