The cultural backdrop in which we experience pain is one of the factors that contribute to the psychology of pain and to the attribution of that pain. The way people are injured influences their neuropsychological state, which in turn affects the way they recover. Soldiers who were shot might see their injuries as heroic and part of a noble cause. Convenience store clerks who were shot might have no such positive framing—they might see themselves as victims. The store clerks would be more likely to suffer from depression and far more likely to become addicted to opioids. Context matters. As
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