The myth: Some groups of people simply tolerate pain better than others — it’s biological.
What the evidence says: This belief is both false and consequential, and it has been measured.
A 2016 study published in PNAS surveyed white medical students and residents about beliefs concerning biological differences between Black and white people. Some of the items were straightforwardly false — that Black people’s skin is thicker, that their nerve endings are less sensitive, that their blood coagulates more quickly.
A substantial proportion endorsed at least one false belief.
The consequence is the important finding. Participants who endorsed these beliefs rated Black patients’ pain as lower than white patients’ pain in matched clinical vignettes, and made less accurate treatment recommendations for them.
This was not a study of overt prejudice or stated intent. It measured beliefs people held as though they were medical facts, and it traced those beliefs into clinical judgment.
The myth of differential pain tolerance has a long and specific history in American medicine, and it did not end when it stopped being taught explicitly. It persists as folk knowledge among some clinicians who would reject it if asked directly.
There is no evidence that any racial group experiences less pain. There is substantial evidence that some groups have their pain treated as though they do.
What we study:
- Pain and Aging
- Chronic Pain Risk Factors
- Pain and the Brain
- Musculoskeletal Pain
- Pain and Exercise
- Non-Medical Treatment of Pain
Prefer to talk to a person? Call 352-273-5967 or email PRICE-CTSI@ufl.edu.
UF Study ID IRB201400126
References
- Hoffman KM, Trawalter S, Axt JR, Oliver MN. Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016;113(16):4296-4301. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516047113