Losing money really DOES hurt: Poorer people buy more painkillers and feel more physical pain than those with extra income
- Participants who recalled a period of economic instability reported almost double the amount of physical pain
- This could be linked to feeling a lack of control over their lives
- Economic insecurity might be also linked with tolerance for pain
![People who feel financially insecure experience more physical pain, according to new research](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/22/16/3172107C00000578-0-image-a-48_1456159798517.jpg)
People who feel financially insecure experience more physical pain, according to new research
If you've ever lost a bet, you'll know how gut-wrenching the feeling can be.
But new research says the pain of losing money isn't just in your head, it could also cause you physical agony too.
Households with two unemployed adults spent 20 per cent more on over-the-counter painkillers compared to those in which at least one adult worked.
This may be linked to feeling a lack of control over their lives, the researchers said.
The group of researchers, led by Eileen Chou of the University of Virginia decided to look into the study when they noticed that economic insecurity and complaints of physical pain were both increasing at the same time.
They suggested there could be a link between the two trends, in particular that economic insecurity would cause people to feel a lack of control in their lives.
This could in turn make them feel anxiety, fear, and stress, they hypothesised.
After carrying out six studies Chou, along with Bidhan Parmar, University of Virginia, and Adam Galinsky, Columbia University, concluded that there is a link.
'Overall, our findings reveal that it physically hurts to be economically insecure,' lead author Eileen Chou said.
'Results from six studies establish that economic insecurity produces physical pain, reduces pain tolerance, and predicts over-the-counter painkiller consumption.'
The researchers collected data from a diverse consumer panel of 33,720 individuals.
An online study with 187 participants indicated that two measures of economic insecurity – the participants' own unemployment and state-level insecurity – were correlated with participants' reports of pain, as measured by a four-item pain scale.
![The study found that households with two unemployed adults spent 20 per cent more on over-the-counter painkillers compared to those in which at least one adult worked. This may be linked to feeling a lack of control over their lives, the researchers said. Stock image pictured](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/02/22/17/314EAEE200000578-3458713-Households_in_which_both_adults_were_unemployed_spent_20_more_on-m-16_1456161266610.jpg)
The study found that households with two unemployed adults spent 20 per cent more on over-the-counter painkillers compared to those in which at least one adult worked. This may be linked to feeling a lack of control over their lives, the researchers said. Stock image pictured
In another online study, participants who recalled a period of economic instability reported almost double the amount of pain than participants who recalled an economically stable period.
A lab-based study suggested that economic insecurity might be also linked with tolerance for pain.
Student participants who were made to think about an uncertain job market showed a decrease in pain tolerance, which the researchers measured by how long they could comfortably keep their hand in a bucket of ice water.
The students who were made to think about entering a stable job market showed no change in pain tolerance.
This pattern of findings remained even after the researchers took other factors into account, including age, negative emotions and employment status.
The researchers hope these findings will be able to lead the way towards finding help for preventing problems caused by economic insecurity.
'By showing that physical pain has roots in economic insecurity and feelings of lack of control, the current findings offer hope for short-circuiting the downward spiral initiated by economic insecurity and producing a new, positive cycle of well-being and pain-free experience,' they said.
The research was published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
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