PERSONALITY-TRAITS AND PAIN EXPERIENCE

The effects of two personality traits, extraversion and neuroticism, on experimental pain were characterized in a group of 40 female undergraduate students of psychology. Extraverts did not differ from introverts in numerical scale sensory and affective ratings, pain sensitivity range, pain threshold and tolerance levels. Equally, no significant difference was found between high and low neurotic subjects on pain indexes. Both groups (i.e. high and low neurotic) differed only on the variable 'use of coping strategies to control pain', such strategies being more frequently used by low-neurotic subjects. The results are discussed in relation to pain therapy.