The following is a summary of “Effect of online social support on experimental pain,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Pain by Karos et al. 

In-person social support has been shown to alleviate acute and chronic pain, but the effectiveness of online social support remains less explored, with access disparities making it a potentially cost-effective alternative.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare the effects of online vs in-person social support on pain induced by a cold-pressor task (CPT).  

They included 62 pain-free female participants who immersed their feet in cold water under 4 conditions: alone, with a supportive person physically present, while chatting online with the supportive person, and while interacting online with a stranger. These conditions were randomly assigned. The study evaluated self-reported pain intensity, pain unpleasantness, perceived threat value of pain, pain tolerance (i.e., immersion time), and heart rate.  

The results showed that pain intensity and unpleasantness were higher when participants were alone compared to other conditions. A similar trend was observed in pain tolerance, though the differences were not statistically significant. Heart rate increased during the CPT, peaking in the in-person support condition. Recovery after cold water immersion was slower in the alone condition than in other conditions.  

Investigators concluded that interaction with a supportive other or a stranger, whether online or in-person, had led to a reduction in acute pain compared to being alone and that the study presented initial evidence that online interaction with others might have been an effective alternative to in-person social support for reducing acute pain. 

Source: jpain.org/article/S1526-5900(25)00619-4/fulltext