The role of anticipation in nocebo effects on pai

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Recruiting

Sex: Not specified

Target Recruitment: 42

Inclusion Criteria

Adults ages 18-35
Strong understanding of written and spoken English
Normal or corrected to normal vision

Exclusion Criteria

1. Ever having experienced serious medical or psychiatric conditions (e.g., heart or lung disease, panic attacks, alcohol addiction, clinical depression), including any present conditions thought to increase the risk of a serious COVID-19 infection (diabetes, severe obesity, HIV, severe kidney or liver diseases) and the presence of any condition or treatment that causes a reduced resistance to infections (autoimmune disorders, blood disorders, organ or stem cell transplant recipients, people without spleens).
2. Currently experiencing or having experienced in the last 48 hours any symptoms of COVID-19 (cough, sore throat, fever, trouble breathing, muscular pain, pain behind the eyes, excessive fatigue, diarrhoea, loss of sense of smell or taste).
3. Having tested positive for COVID-19 fewer than 7 days ago.
4. After testing positive for COVID-19 more than 7 days ago, not being symptom free for at least 48 hours.
5. Having a housemate/partner test positive for COVID-19 (or an untested but suspected COVID-19 infection) in the past month.
6. Ever having experienced chronic pain complaints (pain for more than 6 months).
7. Ever having experienced persisting painful health problems in the last 6 months.
8. Ever having experienced acute physical pain (more than 1 on the 0-10-point pain Numeric Rating Scale (NRS); e.g., mild headache), on the day of testing.
9. Having used pain medication or recreational drugs in the 24 hours prior to testing.
10. Having consumed more than 3 caffeinated drinks (coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.) on the day of testing, any alcohol the day of testing, or more than 3 units of alcohol in the 24 hours before testing.
11. (Intended) pregnancy or breastfeeding.
12. Having recent injuries to the head, wrists or arms on the day of testing.
13. Previous participation in this or similar studies (e.g., using thermal pain).
14. On the day of testing: not being able to sufficiently distinguish between the different temperatures during calibrations and nocebo acquisition, or not reporting a pain of at least 6 (0-10 pain NRS scale) with the highest temperature used during calibrations.