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Expectations contribute to reduced pain levels during prayer in highly religious participants
Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 07/27/2012
Jegindo EME et al. – Prayer reduced pain intensity by 34 % and pain unpleasantness by 38 % for religious participants, but not for non–religious participants. For religious participants, expectancy and desire predicted 56–64 % of the variance in pain intensity scores, but for non–religious participants, only expectancy was significantly predictive of pain intensity (65–73 %). Conversely, prayer–induced reduction in pain intensity and pain unpleasantness were not followed by autonomic and cardiovascular changes.
