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Scientists Confirm Fast is Best for Band-Aid Removal

Posted by samzenpus on from the rip-it-off dept.

A study at Queensland's James Cook University has proved that removing a band-aid quickly hurts less than taking it off slowly. Scientists found the pain involved with removal to be more of a psychological issue than a physical one. "It's fascinating that if you had a preconception that slow was going to be more painful in fact it was, so it also suggests that pain is not just what you perceive but what you think you will perceive when you get the painful stimulus," Researcher Dr Carl O'Kane said. The study also proved that researchers have an abundance of free time at the university.

14 comments

  1. That proves it. by rockNme2349 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    A study at Queensland's James Cook University used 65 medical students who removed Band-Aids either quickly or slowly, and ranked their pain reaction from zero to 10.

    --
    Sewage Treatment Facilities - "Our duty is clear."
  2. I'm really glad... by AtomicOrange · · Score: 1

    that this wasn't funded by my tax money. Seriously, where do I sign up to do useless research.

    Up next: People happier when surrounded by playful puppies.

    --
    "What is there a tank on the boat? WHY IS THERE A TANK ON THE BOAT?!?" L4D2
    1. Re:I'm really glad... by weirdo557 · · Score: 0

      not people who are allergic to them

    2. Re:I'm really glad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sometimes you need research to back up claims. Sure it might be common knowledge... but if there's no proof besides intuition, then that's a pretty weak claim.

    3. Re:I'm really glad... by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

          Puppies are annoying. Now, a room full of kittens, that's nice. :)

          But better, a room full of strippers, where the tab was paid in advance, and they were paid for "full service". That makes people really happy. :)

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    4. Re:I'm really glad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, but not for bullshit like this. lol.

    5. Re:I'm really glad... by shentino · · Score: 1

      Yuck.

    6. Re:I'm really glad... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      C'mon... cat people and strippers do not get along very well.

  3. Mind over Bat? by SeeSp0tRun · · Score: 1

    So let me get this straight... If someone hits me in the back of the head with a bat, when I an not expecting it, it should not hurt. I did not expect any pain to be delivered, and so it should not be there? Or is it skewed because I know a bat to the head should hurt, in which case does it hurt after i find out it is a bat with which I was struck?

    --
    Something witty.
    1. Re:Mind over Bat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      its not the realization of it being a bat that hurts but the realization that your were struck, I can see truth in this argument. Maybe pain is almost all psychological (deep rooted at that) and can be turned off with enough practice, good example are those crazy monks that torture themselves in one way or another to prove their faith. Then again think about stuff like stomach aches and head aches, etc.

    2. Re:Mind over Bat? by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

          Well, if you've practiced a little, and are aware of your environment, you'll find that pain is worse when you know it's there.

          Here's a good example. I gashed my leg open on a broken bottle. My girlfriend's kid put the broken bottle in a trash bag, and put it by the back door. I didn't know it was in there. I accidentally hit it with my leg.

          It left a 3/4"x3/4"x2" gash in my shin.

          When I hit it, I said "ow", and thought I had hit a can in the bag or something.

          About 10 minutes later, I felt something cold dripping on my foot (I was wearing sandals). The front of my jeans were soaked with blood, and the "cold liquid" I felt dripping was the blood that had soaked through my pants.

          The "pain" from hitting it lasted about 5 seconds. I didn't think anything of it after that, until I saw the blood.

          I stayed focused on anything else. I had to drive to the store to get stuff to clean it up, because we didn't have any at the house.

          After I got back, I dumped hydrogen peroxide on it to clean the wound, and then rubbing alcohol just in case. :) That was literally dumped. I poured it in the open wound. Then I pushed the wound closed, and used those special bandaids to hold open wounds shut, and then dressed it properly.

          Everyone around me screamed, flinched, or otherwise got freaked out. I treated it like I was working on someone else. BTW, it's very hard to work on your own shin. :) I didn't feel any pain, because I wasn't reacting to it.

          I probably should have been freaked out about it. I didn't have health insurance, and couldn't afford the emergency room trip for a few stitches.

          Over the next few days, I kept it very clean, and redressed it frequently. Still, since I didn't think about how much it should hurt, it didn't hurt at all.

          Now it's years later. It healed with a very minimal scar, which has completely faded. I've tried to show people the mark, but it simply isn't there any more.

          So, which hurts worse, pulling a bandage slowly or quickly? I don't know. I opted to not pull out my leghairs by yanking the bandages off, so I did it slowly. That was my only consideration. "Do I want to make this worse? No.", so I was careful when redressing the wound.

          People can get nasty cuts, and not know it, if they aren't immediately visible. They complain about the pain afterwards, because they now know that it's there.

          I've done plenty of damage to myself over the years, mostly minor. The one that bothered me the worst was a torn ligament in my finger when I was a kid. It didn't hurt, but it freaked me out that my finger didn't move when I expected it to.

          I won't say things don't hurt, but all pain is processed by the brain, so if you can convince yourself that it doesn't hurt, then it won't.

          I've had a few piercings done, and they didn't hurt because I refused to let them hurt.

          Headaches still get me, because it's hard to focus on it not hurting, when your head is already clouded by the headache.

          I have a little daughter. When she hurts herself, I tell her that it doesn't hurt. She believes what I tell her, and she'll stop crying about it immediately.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    3. Re:Mind over Bat? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shin injuries do not hurt so bad - I've had one myself, and it's not bad.

    4. Re:Mind over Bat? by tomhudson · · Score: 1

      Well, if they hit you hard enough, you won't feel a thing.

    5. Re:Mind over Bat? by xumio · · Score: 1

      that depends - it could have been a placebo bat, or even a homeophatic one