Pain is red, relief is white: the influence of color on pain perception prevails over pain modality

Abstract

Abstract Colors are an important factor that influences different aspects of people's lives. However, little is known about the effects of colors on pain. This study aimed to investigate whether the type of pain affects the impact of colors on pain intensity. 74 participants were randomly divided into 2 groups according to the type of pain: electrical or thermal. In both groups, pain stimuli of the same intensity were preceded by different colors. Participants rated the pain intensity induced by each pain stimulus. Additionally, pain expectations related to each color were rated at the beginning and the end of the procedure. A significant effect of color on pain intensity ratings was found. In the electrical group, the perceived pain intensity following red was more intense than after green; in the thermal group, the perceived pain intensity following red was more intense than after blue. Moreover, the pain was most intense in both groups after red, whereas the lowest ratings were given after white. A similar pattern of results was observed for pain expectations. The study shows that white could reduce perceived pain, while red can alter the pain. Moreover, it shows that the effect of colors is affected by the pain expectations rather than the pain modality. We conclude that the way colors influence pain broadens the current knowledge on effects of colors on human behavior and could help in the future both patients and practitioners.