PMID: 11639659Apr 1, 1995Paper

Perception, expression, and social function of pain: a human ethological view

Science in Context
W Schiefenhövel

Abstract

Pain has important biomedical, socioanthropological, semiotic, and other facets. In this contribution pain and the expression of pain are looked at from the perspective of evolutionary biology, utilizing, among others, cross-cultural data from field work in Melanesia. No other being cares for sick and suffering conspecifics in the way humans do. Notwithstanding aggression and neglect, common in all cultures, human societies can be characterized as empathic, comforting, and promoting the health and sell-being of their members. One important stimulus triggering this caring response in others is the expression of pain. The nonverbal channel of communication, particularly certain universal--i.e., culture-independent facial expressions, gestures, and body postures, convey much of the message from the pain-stricken person to the group. These behaviors signal the person's physical and psychical pain, sadness, grief, and despair in ways very similar to the signs given by infants and small children: the body loses tonus and sinks or drops to the ground, the gestures are those of helplessness. Pain and grief may be so strong that control is lost not only over the body's posture but also over the mind's awareness. In such cases the afflic...Continue Reading

References

Mar 1, 1976·Pain·R A Sternbach
Dec 1, 1971·Journal of Psychosomatic Research·M L Abercrombie
Nov 19, 1965·Science·R Melzack, P D Wall
Feb 1, 1971·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology·P Ekman, W V Friesen
Jul 1, 1987·Der Schmerz·U HankemeierJ Hildebrandt

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Citations

Jan 13, 2015·Cerebral Cortex·Feng ShengShihui Han
Nov 6, 2021·Human Nature : an Interdisciplinary Biosocial Perspective·Melvin Konner

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