Reduction of bodily pain in response to an online positive activities intervention

Inducing temporary positive states decreases pain and increases pain tolerance in laboratory studies. This study tested whether completing positive activities in one’s daily life produces long-term reductions in self-reported bodily pain in a randomized controlled trial of an online positive activities intervention. Participants recruited via the Web were assigned at random to complete 0, 2, 4, or 6 positive activities administered online over a 6-week period. Follow-up assessments were collected at the end of 6 weeks and at 1, 3, and 6 months after the intervention. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine whether the intervention reduced pain over time among those who had a score

This study indicated that positive activities administered online can decrease bodily pain in adults with at least mild to moderate baseline pain.