Pain, Gender and Optimism : Explanatory Factors to Pain Perception and Pain Tolerance

Research has shown that both optimism and gender affects how we deal with different types of pain, however, it is still unclear which factor has the greatest impact on pain perception and pain tolerance. This study examined which variable, optimism or gender, had the greatest impact on pain. This study used both a convenience and snowball sampling consisting of a total of 45 students, 21 women and 24 men aged 19-39 years old. Optimism was measured by Life Orientation Test Revised and to measure pain perception, a cold pressor task was used. The results showed no significant differences between men and women in pain perception or pain tolerance. The results did not show any difference between optimists and pessimists regarding pain perception and pain tolerance either. These findings contradicted previous research and therefore the measurement instrument reliability in this study was questioned