Benign Masochism?Hedonic Reversal?
Pleasure From Pain?
Benign Masochism is defined as:
A person’s tendency to embrace and seek pleasure through (safely) playing with a stimulating level of physical pain and negative emotions.
Many people find pleasure in the midst of mild pain, revealing the deeper layers of pleasure hidden within the human experience.
Read Study: A common neurobiology for pain and pleasure
Unlike sadomasochism, which involves the exchange of power and pleasure in consensual acts of dominance and submission, benign masochism does not involve the infliction of harm or the desire for control.
Examples of Benign Masochism
Roller coasters can be frightening and induce a physical response similar to fear, which in turn can cause an adrenaline rush, which can be enjoyable.
Scary movies: the feeling of suspense and fear can be enjoyable.
The endorphin rush that comes with the burning sensation of spicy food can be pleasurable.
Extreme sports such as skydiving, bungee jumping, and rock climbing can be exhilarating.
A significant number of individuals take pleasure in the release of endorphins or the surge of chemicals that accompanies experiencing pain.
PAIN IS PLEASURE
ALL PAIN causes the Central Nervous System to release endorphins; released by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in response. This group of peptide hormones both relieves pain and creates a general feeling of well-being. The name of these hormones comes from the term "endogenous morphine."– they work in a similar way to opiates, inducing feelings of euphoria.
READ STUDY: Endorphins: The brain’s natural pain reliever - Harvard Health
Pain and pleasure are closely related experiences. Having pleasure first and then pain is a requisite sequence for addiction. An example is the injection of an opioid to create pleasure, then pain when the drug wears off. To quench the pain, it is necessary to have another injection of opioid.
READ: Pain and Pleasure | SpringerLink
PHILOSOPHY OF PLEASURE/PAIN
Some philosophers, such as Jeremy Bentham, Baruch Spinoza, and Descartes, have hypothesized that the feelings of pain and pleasure are part of a continuum.
READ: Pain and pleasure - The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Jeremy Bentham, an influential utilitarian philosopher;
argued that pleasure and pain are the fundamental basis for moral judgments.
According to Bentham,
the amount of pleasure or pain experienced by an individual should be the guiding factor in determining the ethical value of an action.
He developed the concept of the "hedonic calculus," a method to measure the overall happiness or suffering caused by specific actions.
READ: Utilitarianism: What It Is, Founders, and Main Principles - Investopedia
SPINOZA
Baruch Spinoza, a prominent philosopher of rationalism, proposed that pleasure and pain are simply distinct manifestations of our fundamental desire for self-preservation and overall well-being. He believed that;
all human actions are driven by the desire to increase pleasure and decrease pain, and that the two experiences are inherently linked and share a common root.
Read: Spinoza on the Emotions - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Descartes
René Descartes, a key figure in Western philosophy;
explored the relationship between the mind and the body. He argued that:
… pain and pleasure are sensations produced by the body, and as such, they are interconnected.
Descartes believed that both positive and negative physical sensations are necessary for maintaining the well-being and survival of the individual.
READ: Descartes' Epistemology - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Pain and pleasure, fundamental aspects of our human experience, possess a wide spectrum of intensity and impact that shape not only our moral evaluations but also guide our choices and contribute to our overall state of well-being.
Read: Morality from pain and pleasure | Business Ethics - UNC Greensboro
Leonardo da Vinci Quote:
“Among the bodies which cannot exist one without the other, there is pleasure and displeasure, one a most beautiful youth with a face of fine and delightful appearance with blond hair falling in ringlets, the other old, sad and looking mournful. They are painted together because one is never without the other, and they are back to back because they are such contraries. They are painted skilfully attached from behind by their shoulders to one body which joins their bodies from there downwards. And this is done to show that they have both the same foundation; for the foundation and origin of pleasure is effort linked with displeasure, while on the other hand the foundation and roots of displeasure are the vain and lascivious pleasures. Therefore one is painted with a reed in the right hand, which is empty and without fruit, precisely as pleasure is. In the right hand of displeasure are placed a large number of caltrops to signify the sharp and poisonous wounds with which it stabs the heart, letting some fall on the ground on which it rests. But in the left hand pleasure holds a large number of coins in front of displeasure, some of which it lets fall on the ground, to show how displeasure lies in those mundane vanities which pleasure holds out to it, while displeasure in its turn holds in front of pleasure those arrowheads without which it cannot be born. In the left hand displeasure holds a branch of a bush with the thorns of roses, demonstrating that just as no rose ever grows without thorns, so it retains only the thorns while the roses, that is pleasure, wither. A stem of roses with thorns, therefore, can only signify that fragile pleasures are soon lost and that confidence in the present leads to troubles and heartaches. Furthermore the right leg of that body rests on a bundle of hay, the left one on a tablet of gold, to show their difference; one of the legs, that is the affect of worldly pleasure, is low, weak and soft; the other, that is the affect of displeasure, on the golden tablet, is firm, strong and hardened through pain like the arrowheads. This monster is also painted on a bed, to allude to the various dreams of pleasure and displeasure which here come to us during the night, and to our wasting a large part of our lives here, spending much time particularly in the morning when the mind is clear and rested and the body ready for new labors, and altogether the many fain pleasures which are taken here by the mind, imagining impossible things or enjoying things in the body which are frequently the cause of its death.”
Hedonic Flip
A psychological phenomenon in which a person’s initial positive reaction gradually turns into negative feelings or dissatisfaction over time.
This occurs as a result of habituation, when one becomes accustomed to certain stimuli & their emotional response diminishes over time.
Benign Masochism Is Not Masochism
Masochism is the condition in which sexual or other gratification depends on one’s suffering physical pain or humiliation.
STUDIES:
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory — How the brain balances pleasure and pain
2. University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
PDF — Motivating by the Pain Pleasure Principle
3. Physical Pain as Pleasure: A Theoretical Perspective
Cara R. Dunkley,Craig D. Henshaw,Saira K. Henshaw &Lori A. Brotto
4. Pain, Pleasure, and Unpleasure
5. READ: When mild pain is present alongside severe pain, it can provide relief and induce pleasant feelings.
