People who are in enriched environments—with lots of things to see, listen to, and do—experience less pain than those in simpler environments, and this sort of distraction diminishes pain signals in the insula and primary sensory cortex. Effective distraction while in pain includes exercise, hobbies, interesting conversation, practicing yoga, meditation, socializing, listening to soothing music, or immersing yourself in nature. Even when the distracting activity is forced on an individual in pain, it leads to a reduction in pain and an increase in the body’s production of its own organic
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