Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Medical content'
Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose by Leigh Cowart
4 reviews
krisalexcole's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing
i_read_big_boucs's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
4.5
This book was both funny, moving and very informative about the science of pain processing. I really enjoyed it.
The basic question of the book is "Why are people attracted to pain on purpose?" posed by a self-avowed masochist. People engage in BDSM play, do ballet, awful marathons, polar plunges, and do pepper contests. And this seems fairly consistent across culture and history: there is a prolonged history of Christian and buddhist asceticism that included self-flagellation and starvation.
One important piece of answer in the book is that pain is not simply a stimuli-response thing, but is an alarm signal + interpretation based on contextual factors and previous memories. So the answer to the question is that people engage in pain on purpose because they have positive associations with certain pains, because pain releases endorphins that gets people high, because it gets people into the present moment instantly, because it gives them a sense of achievement for overcoming the body's resistance and getting to their limits, because for people who associate pain with punishment it provides a feeling of atonement and release of guilt and energy, because painful experiences create an intensity that increases meaning, because pain facilitates bonding, because our pain tolerance goes up when we're with other people, because a sprinkle of pain on pleasure creates contrast.
One of the interesting bits of the book is the one that interrogates the line between self-harming and seeking pain on purpose. It concludes that the line can be murky and the difference is mostly the intention and whether it comes from a place of struggle. And that in positive pain on purpose, pain is desired, not harm.
Another interesting moment in the book for me was the discussion of the history of religious practices of pain; how especially for women at the time, claiming a direct relation to god through starvation for instance was a way to shortcut the church hierarchy: when you're without social power, exercising extreme discipline over oneself can be used to claim power over something.
I loved the authors' vulnerability. This book is simply a good example of nonfiction that is informative and has good storytelling! The descriptions of the author's ED were very manageable and not glamorising (you can skip them if it's not your jam, you will still make a lot of the book I think). The tongue thing, however, SKIP IT the second you see the word tongue if you're sensitive
The basic question of the book is "Why are people attracted to pain on purpose?" posed by a self-avowed masochist. People engage in BDSM play, do ballet, awful marathons, polar plunges, and do pepper contests. And this seems fairly consistent across culture and history: there is a prolonged history of Christian and buddhist asceticism that included self-flagellation and starvation.
One important piece of answer in the book is that pain is not simply a stimuli-response thing, but is an alarm signal + interpretation based on contextual factors and previous memories. So the answer to the question is that people engage in pain on purpose because they have positive associations with certain pains, because pain releases endorphins that gets people high, because it gets people into the present moment instantly, because it gives them a sense of achievement for overcoming the body's resistance and getting to their limits, because for people who associate pain with punishment it provides a feeling of atonement and release of guilt and energy, because painful experiences create an intensity that increases meaning, because pain facilitates bonding, because our pain tolerance goes up when we're with other people, because a sprinkle of pain on pleasure creates contrast.
One of the interesting bits of the book is the one that interrogates the line between self-harming and seeking pain on purpose. It concludes that the line can be murky and the difference is mostly the intention and whether it comes from a place of struggle. And that in positive pain on purpose, pain is desired, not harm.
Another interesting moment in the book for me was the discussion of the history of religious practices of pain; how especially for women at the time, claiming a direct relation to god through starvation for instance was a way to shortcut the church hierarchy: when you're without social power, exercising extreme discipline over oneself can be used to claim power over something.
I loved the authors' vulnerability. This book is simply a good example of nonfiction that is informative and has good storytelling! The descriptions of the author's ED were very manageable and not glamorising (you can skip them if it's not your jam, you will still make a lot of the book I think). The tongue thing, however, SKIP IT the second you see the word tongue if you're sensitive
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Eating disorder
yilliun's review
DNF at 25%
I initially really enjoyed her writing, but as it progressed it felt somewhat juvenile to me. It was more technical than I was expecting in medical terms.
I mostly DNF’d this because of the graphic medical content.
I initially really enjoyed her writing, but as it progressed it felt somewhat juvenile to me. It was more technical than I was expecting in medical terms.
I mostly DNF’d this because of the graphic medical content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Self harm, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content
lily1304's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
I ripped through this book so fast. I loved it.
I was worried the author would be a little too flippant, but she is very clear from the outset that "pain on purpose" can be really healthy or unhealthy, and she devotes a chapter to exploring the difference.
My only complaint is that some of her chapters are a little too long, and I wish she had clear citations with a bibliography - but this is pop science, so she gives brief in-text citations.
Massive trigger warning for both BDSM and eating disorders - she gives extremely vivid descriptions of both.
I was worried the author would be a little too flippant, but she is very clear from the outset that "pain on purpose" can be really healthy or unhealthy, and she devotes a chapter to exploring the difference.
My only complaint is that some of her chapters are a little too long, and I wish she had clear citations with a bibliography - but this is pop science, so she gives brief in-text citations.
Massive trigger warning for both BDSM and eating disorders - she gives extremely vivid descriptions of both.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail