Researcher to probe purpose of painseekers
Dr Ron Fischer leaves for Denmark this week to embark on an 18-month study exploring the mindsets of pain seekers.
A Victoria University of Wellington researcher leaves for Denmark this week to embark on an 18-month study exploring the mindsets of pain seekers.
Dr Ron Fischer, an associate professor in the School of Psychology and AIAS-COFUND Marie Curie Fellow recipient, will carry out his research at the Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (AIAS) at Aarhus University, the country’s highest-rated university.
His study will look why humans voluntarily inflict pain on themselves through activities such as tattoos, piercings, religious practices and extreme sports.
“We’re trying to get a better understanding of what’s actually happening to people—the motivations for people to engage in pain, what happens to their bodies and minds, as well as benefits or problems they may experience,” says Dr Fischer.
The study will give novel insights into the psychology of pain and has potential to advance knowledge in a number of domains, including new pain therapies and a better understanding of how social groups bond through extreme practices.
The AIAS-COFUND Marie Curie Fellowships bring international researchers to Denmark to pursue their research interests at the AIAS and collaborate with other fellows as well as local researchers.
Dr Fischer will commence his fellowship next month, and is joined by researchers from Germany, Edinburgh, Spain and Italy who work in a variety of fields including biology, history and chemistry.
“I’m really looking forward to interacting with people across different disciplines and being able to connect with research centres in Europe,” says Dr Fischer.
He will work with researchers from the MINDLab, a cutting-edge programme that looks at how the brain and mind interact with our cultural environment.
Together with Dr Fischer, they will conduct experiments in both the laboratory and the field, making it the first comprehensive investigation of pain-seeking processes in non-clinical settings.