We examined trial-to-trial dynamics in participants’ expected pain, reported pain and brain activity. Subjective and neural pain responses assimilated towards cue-based expectations, and pain responses in turn predicted subsequent expectations, creating a positive dynamic feedback loop. Furthermore, we found evidence for a confirmation bias in learning: higher- and lower-than-expected pain triggered greater expectation updating for high- and low-pain cues, respectively. Individual differences in this bias were reflected in the updating of pain-anticipatory brain activity. Computational modelling provided converging evidence that expectations influence both perception and learning. Together, perceptual assimilation and biased learning promote self-reinforcing expectations, helping to explain why beliefs can be resistant to change.
I’ve seen other coverage on this elsewhere in the media and my experience so far has been that every third session tended to hurt more than the others, so I’m now wondering how much of this was due to my own expectations. Very interesting, thanks.
There are a number of factors which determine discomfort, and from the regularity of your discomfort ( every third session) I’m going to guess that you probably get around 3 sessions a month of electrolysis? I’d start tracking the “uncomfortable” sessions because you may find they match up with the time right before a menstrual cycle. This in my experience can greatly increased percieved discomfort though it is just one of many factors.
That sounds very plausible but I’m afraid your guesses are way off - this was one session of IPL every 6 weeks (I haven’t had any actual electrolysis yet - that’s why I came here, to find out more). And I’m also a man, so that’s both guesses out, sorry about that. 