Multi-level selection, social signaling, and the evolution of human suffering gestures: The example of pain behaviors

Abstract

Pain suffering has been naturally selected to be experienced and expressed within a wider social system. The communication of pain improves group coordination and decision-making about engaging in resource dependent and potentially risky endeavors. Recent findings warrant the development of a cohesive framework for understanding the reciprocal nature of pain expression and individual and group-level outcomes that can generate novel predictions on the heuristical expression of human suffering in naturalistic and clinical settings.

Disrupted functional connectivity between the periaqueductal gray and other brain regions in a rat model of recurrent headache

“…Thus, it is important not to overstate imaging results in rodents. Second, given that pain is a complex experience, consciousness is necessary to experience it 64 . Although several studies have found that the topological features are maintained and that the integrity of the whole brain network can be conserved in the anesthetized brain, these studies were investigating the effects of strong nociceptive stimuli 65 .…”

Relieving total pain in an adolescent: a case report

“…It is composed of the physical, psychological, and social, with a spiritual component [ 2 ]. Any individual may experience pain in each domain with different severity [ 9 ]. Even though there is a gold standard for pain control, i.e., the WHO analgesic ladder, it focuses mainly on the physical aspect of pain, thus further evaluation of the other domains may be needed [ 7 , 10 ].…”