Wincing at Movies? Your Brain Might Be Re-Creating the Pain
Grimacing at the sight of a movie character slowly stepping on a nail or slamming their fingers in a car door is an experience we can all relate to. When we see people getting hurt on screen, we tend to have a physical reaction even if we are in the comfort of our own home.
The reason behind these reactions has intrigued scientists for decades. But a new study, published in NatureI may have found the answer. When we watch a movie, our brain doesn’t just visually process the information on the screen: it simulates what we see, resonating the sensation throughout our body.
“When you watch someone being tickled or injured, the areas of the brain affected by this process light up in patterns that correspond to the body part involved,” Nicholas Hedger, the lead author of the study, said in a press release. “Your brain maps what you see onto your own body, ‘simulating’ a tactile sensation even if nothing physical has happened to you.”
Learn more: The Science of Recreational Fear: Why We Love Horror Movies and Other Scary Thrills
Why do we grimace while watching movies?
According to this study, vision and touch are much more closely linked than previously thought. To discover this link, researchers analyzed the brain activity of 174 different people as they watched different films.
This analysis showed that our sense of touch is activated by what we see. When we watch movies, the areas of our brain that process touch are activated in very specific ways. Not only do these regions light up, but they act in the same way as if we were physically touched rather than just watching the contact happen on a screen.
The research team refers to this connection as a kind of sensory “map” that helps the brain process visual and sensory signals. The connection also works both ways, with our sense of touch activating visual areas of our brain in low visibility situations.
“This crosstalk also works the other way. For example, when you navigate the bathroom in the dark, tactile sensations help your visual system create an internal map of where things are, even with minimal visual input,” Hedger explained. “This “filling” reflects the cooperation of our different senses to generate a coherent image of the world. »
Understanding the visual-sensory brain connection
Using data from their analysis, the researchers identified two specific ways in which what we see can trigger the brain’s sensory map.
In the higher regions of our visual system, the map aligns with what appears in our field of vision. For example, the part of the brain that processes sensations from our feet corresponds to the lower areas of the visual field, while the part that processes facial sensations corresponds to the upper field.
In the lower regions of our visual system, sensation is linked to the parts of the body we are looking at. If you watch someone have a needle inserted into their arm, that part of your arm will “feel” the sensation.
Clinical applications of the brain-body map
Although the discovery of a new brain connection is exciting in itself, researchers are particularly excited about the clinical applications of their research.
Traditional sensory testing for neurodivergent people – especially children with autism – can be overwhelming and exhausting. But if the brain’s responses to touch can be measured visually by watching a movie, medical professionals can replace stressful procedures with less invasive options.
“This discovery could transform our understanding of diseases like autism. We can now measure these brain mechanisms while someone simply watches a movie, opening up new possibilities for research and diagnosis,” Hedger said.
Learn more: Choosing the music you listen to could ease the pain
Article sources
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