Cruel shocks and kind massages

About this book

How much does a 50V electric shock hurt? While there would seem to be many factors affecting the amount of pain of such a shock (e.g., voltage, amperage, duration, frequency), the intention of the person giving the shock would seem to be irrelevant. This research suggests, however, that such intention does matter. Recent theories of pain suggest that the mind evolved to represent not only the physical parameters of a stimulus, but also its underlying meaning. As intentions constitute an important source of meaning in the world, it was hypothesized that the perceived intention of the person doing the harming (the moral agent) would influence the pain experienced by the person being harmed (the moral patient). Specifically, as intentional harms connote both increased physical severity and social harm, it was predicted that an intentional electric shock would cause more physical discomfort than one perceived to be unintentional. Three experiments test this prediction. Experiment 1 used a between-subjects design, in which a confederate ostensibly shocked participants either intentionally or unintentionally. Intentional shocks were indeed rated as more painful. Experiment 2 replicated this effect in a within-subjects paradigm: participants rated intentional confederate administered shocks as more painful than unintentional computer administered shocks. Experiment 3 found that the specific valence of intention matters in pain experience. Maliciously intentioned shocks hurt more, while benevolently intended shocks hurt less than unintentional shocks. These studies suggest perceived intention influences the experience of pain. Of course, pain is complemented by pleasure and it may be that intention can also influence the experience of pleasure. Experiment 4 tested whether a massage from an electric chair pad felt better when intentionally chosen by a person than when unintentionally selected by a computer. As predicted, the identical massage was rated as more pleasurable when perceived to be intentional. It appears that, whether in the domain of pain or pleasure, our conscious experience hinges on the interpersonal context of stimuli. This effect is explained both in terms of meaning and the power of the moral dyad to constrain experience.