The Ways We Talk About Pain

The experience forced me to think about our relationship to pain—not chronic pain, but acute

experiences: how much of it we think we’re allowed to feel, how much of it that we express, and how we’re supposed to respond when we’re hurt. None of us are immune to physical pain. At the very least, we’ve all likely stubbed a toe or scraped a knee at some point. Some of us have broken bones. And we’ve probably had some degree of headache. However, for each of these scenarios there is a particular response. If you stub your toe, for example, and behave as though you’ve broken your leg, you’ll likely be met with skepticism about the magnitude of pain you claim to feel. And if you persistently do this, your reputation may lead toward dramatic or hyperbole.