What If Pain Could Be Made Optional? | The Future With Hannah Fry

Pain is a fact of life. For some, it is excruciating and inescapable. But amid the continuing fallout of the opioid crisis, new technologies are being developed to limit and even eliminate pain.
Do you want to know what your future holds? A life beyond 150 years old? A world where computers can read our emotions? A planet transformed by unlimited clean energy? Mathematician Hannah Fry will explore these questions and more.
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[@kateapple1]

Stop fighting yourself and start fighting for yourself it's a great line

[@yensteel]

Stop fighting for yourself and start fighting yourself. That's called depression.

[@pyrethorn]

As someone who's been in constant pain for 10+ years, can confirm that mindset makes a huge difference. On days where I am overall happy, it doesn't hurt as much.

[@avicohen2k]

Ture, but life is hard, or at least challenging you can't be happy all the time. We need something for when things need to get done.

[@idehenebenezer]

​@@avicohen2k Where are you going after you die? What happens next? Have you ever thought about that? Repent today and give your life to Jesus Christ to obtain eternal salvation. Tomorrow may be too late my brethen😢. Hebrews 9:27 says "And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after that the judgement

[@geroldbendix1651]

Yes, suffering from toothache the whole week, I realized this also. But finally I had to visit the dentist. Who can be happy all the time, only Sages I guess.

[@FelinAly]

That's some wisdom not far spread, not even in the medical world. Chronic pain really makes your life fall appart, and most doctors don't realize this at all, even call it "psychological issue". Not many people understand what it means to live with strong, chronic pain. It completely depletes you, disables you, but often you cannot see it. You can still walk, talk, even work and people are very sceptical, like "what do you have? you're not in a wheely, how are you disabled?" It's a nightmare and you get little to no support yet.

[@acmelka]

The current fear of offering effective pain meds, is causing untold misery. It was too loose in the early 2000s but now it's far too restrictive

[@andersonstudiosmusic]

Chronic pain always has a cause, and our medical system should prioritize advancements in things that treat the root cause and not a band-aid solution to pain. Our bodies need to feel pain. It lets us know when something is wrong, and where the problem is.

[@user-qu7qh7qj2t]

@@andersonstudiosmusicwhy not both? Some conditions could take decades or centuries to solve, why not also look for ways to relieve pain for people now?

[@andersonstudiosmusic]

@@user-qu7qh7qj2t I think it’s great for temporary remedies. I also think that it will be abused by both medical practitioners and patients when the problem is not actually resolved, thus masking an issue that does need further medical intervention to solve.

[@theorogas]

It feels unreal how slow the progress is on these conditions. I went to a clinic the other day and had to explain to the neurologist what “central sensitization” was. She’d never heard of it. I’ve been dealing with chronic pain and sensitization issues for almost a decade now. Lost 30% muscle mass, struggle to perform daily basic activities. The only hope is gene editing, which is supposedly 10-15 years away…

[@QueenetBowie]

Shout out for covering Complex Regional Pain syndrome. I got it after a relatively minor foot injury, messed me up for awhile but compared to a lot of people I got off easy, for some people it’s crippling for life band it’s such a weird and poorly understood thing. Some doctors are very hesitant to diagnose it, I almost didn’t believe it could be a thing when my doctor told me about it bc it’s just so odd. It can be related to nerve damage but it can also be almost like your brain/nervous system just gets confused.. it can even spread to other parts of your body, like if you have it on your right hand, you can eventually get it on your left hand, or foot, etc. Thank you for bringing attention to it!

[@lawerancelanham]

Living with chronic pain is no joke. 😢 I need this in a huge way...

[@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq]

Keep going! Does this give you a little hope?

[@Nigfis]

Chronic pain had a devastating impact on my life. At 35, I was a highly skilled tradesman at the peak of my career, but my employers were unaware that every morning I struggled to get out of bed due to excruciating pain. Eventually, I reached a point where I could no longer continue. When I sought help from my doctor, I was completely taken aback when he assumed I was simply seeking morphine. This left me feeling distraught. After persistent requests, I was finally granted a scan, and the results revealed signs of Osteoarthritis in my spine. This whole experience taught me that pain is not only a physical sensation but can also be influenced by external factors and other people's perceptions. I hope that anyone going through a similar journey has better luck than I did.

[@Cody-zd2ye]

Hannah Fry is the best

[@MrBigbanan]

MONEEYYYYY

[@ElectricityTaster]

She and Stephen Fry will collaborate in a new series called Fry-up.

[@nidhavellir]

Anyone who romanticizes pain and suffering has never had to live with it.

[@vulpine81]

100%

[@thespaceplaneenthusiast3812]

I think Masochists would highly disagree with your statement.

[@theadchefer]

@@thespaceplaneenthusiast3812😂

[@joshuadala3508]

I don’t think so

[@manuelbarreto7032]

I think even a masochist would beg to die after a few days of CRPS or adhesive arachnoiditis.​@@thespaceplaneenthusiast3812

[@Jacob99174]

What about the pain of my broken heart when Hannah Fry’s videos end? 😔😔

[@MrBigbanan]

exactly

[@Timothyshannon-fz4jx]

Amy has hit the nail on the head, mindset, and mental toughness has a grate deal to do with the eventual outcome of many an illness and setbacks, that is not just a lesson in medicine, it is also a lesson in life as you personally know Hanna, and while science does not yet fully understand Amy's condition, by working with her they may open insides to treat her condition ,chronic pain can be so debilitating, but sometimes we need pain to stop us from injuring ourselves, pain is a warning, and often prevents us from overdoing it in the gym, or burn ing our hands on a cooker, and for many injuries it is actually part of the healing process.

[@iOS6Fan1]

Would have been really useful for my mom's cancer pains. I hope we improve human life through this research

[@jislordayomide6638]

We love hannah fry❤

[@webleaf30]

Hannah is such a wonderful guide to this fascinating new concepts!!

[@User40919]

Keep these documentaries coming.

[@JpeterZoom-gt3pn]

To get rid of pain completely would be a mistake...

[@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq]

Of course, if the option is no pain or too much, then none is better. However, yes, ideally not.

[@timothykim856]

this is really cool coverage of the cutting edge thanks Hannah and Bloomberg for bringing us these documentaries :)

[@ZeeAzman]

“Queen of pain” is the most badass scientific moniker ever 😅

[@Klutech]

On the surface, it sounds more like she's an expert at administering pain rather than working out treatments for it. 😅

[@krallopian]

At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="715">11:55</a>, the video discusses the possibility of reducing the strength of pain signals within individual neurons, which seems beneficial on the surface. However, as Hannah Fry pointed out earlier, the brain's processing of pain isn't straightforward; it also considers factors like past experiences, emotions, and our current level of focus or distraction. Essentially, the brain already modulates pain signals, adjusting their intensity based on these psychological factors. This leads me to wonder: if we artificially lower the amplitude of pain signals, might the brain simply adapt to this new baseline? And perhaps more critically, could there be an increased sensation of pain when this intervention is absent? Perhaps I should continue watching the rest of the video, it's just that this question seemed crucial, and I wanted to note it down before forgetting (it would pain me to do so!)😅

[@YTStoleMyUsername]

While the topics covered in this video are all very interesting, I was disappointed that they didn't delve very deep into the theories you're presenting here. It switched over more to the mind-body connection and they didn't come back to the brain research earlier discussed. It sounds like we need a combination of both physiological and psychological treatment to get the ideal treatment for pain; researchers have to come together and combine their approaches.

[@theorogas]

@@YTStoleMyUsername it makes me go bonkers whenever they put forth the mind-body connection. The experience of pain can be amplified by psychological factors. The emergence of pain is due to genetic/molecular modifications in the neural system. The only way to change it back to “default” is gene editing. Which is at least 10-15 years away…

[@Scuor2]

People love the top down approach we feel more autonomy but the placebo effect is mostly automatic or unconscious. Yes all systems adapt especially with drugs but the networks might also get "reset" and stop crying wolf

[@______IV]

I’m happy the moments when my pain is well managed. When my pain is poorly managed, I’m rarely able to experience much happiness. Please stop shaming people who require opioids to treat their pain.

[@SequoiaElisabeth]

Yes, spot on. The sad bit is we all feel pain, some more than others. It seems to run in families too. The last point made here, seems like Nature vs nurture. Perhaps they both serve their purpose; thus, we need both.

[@paulohenriquearaujofaria7306]

I like Hannah and the way she narrates.

[@KazimRMerchant]

Scientists have made invaluable contributions to humanity through their discoveries, shedding light on various aspects of our world. However, in their pursuit of knowledge, there are areas that have been overlooked, such as comprehending the multidimensional nature of human existence and exploring the profound connection between individuals and their spiritual beliefs.

[@wildone106]

It'll be ready in 10 years

[@rgarlinyc]

Ever since a singular day in 2019 I've wanted to turn off pain in my life. So far, no dice. But it is true, when I drop my guard the pain worsens.

[@acmelka]

Withdrawal isn't being physically sick, that bits easy. Your soul is in critical condition during withdrawal, no one can describe how awful it is.

[@123astorga]

very interesting. I would add a look into hypnotherapy and pain

[@jcoop3660]

Removing helpful pain can be very dangerous, like "burning" nerves w rf or whatever. Nerves control organs.

[@zurc_bot]

Can this work on emotional pain as well?

[@infiniteworfare5089]

stop thinking they will help treat your pain. they massively abused alot of animals and you expect them to help you rather than forcing you to suffer?

[@AndrewHillis_2024]

PAIN IS A WARNING THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG AND THAT DAMAGE HAS OR IS BEING CAUSED ! ! ! ? ? ?🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@MehediHasan-nb7gg]

Hannah Hannah ✊

[@trumanbrown6713]

What about stress?

[@sev-nutz8524]

Hannah fry rocks

[@kjkj4725]

Almost all my life was pain, I thought it’s normal until I was diagnosed with AS at 30yo. It would be nice to be able to just turn it off, especially for sleep… No changes in the spine = no proper medications because insurance won’t cover…

[@alan2here]

I've thought this recently about lucid dreaming, the real differencer is feeling weight on the body

[@neithanm]

As someone with syringomyellia, there's too much misinformation towards the end here. Yes, mindset INFLUENCES our perception of pain, which does NOT mean that you can cure away the pain with mindset alone. No matter how happy and calm you are, getting kicked in the balls will hurt.

[@3ATIVE]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="661">11:01</a> So nice to see Post Malone (A.K.A "Steve") doing his Day-Job.

[@paulohenriquearaujofaria7306]

I have chronic pain, tendon injure. What's your condition?

[@jeremycalnan4180]

Hello can I maintain my blood pressure with pain management: how would you

[@Timothyshannon-fz4jx]

It is one thing to inject into a single nuron in a pipet dish, quite another matter in a living patent.

[@AnywhereMiami]

This feels like something cleo abram could talk about ❤️

[@MrBigbanan]

could be

[@NiJIcolaGirardI]

What is the wheelchair for?

[@JamesNewton]

KZbin literally (twice) played an advertisement /for this video/ as I was /watching this video/! ??? Like... did they think I wasn't sold /enough/ on watching it?

[@PaperBoat.]

*Don't fry my head.*

[@Michele-z4k]

Who would opt to have pain? Seriously! Please educate me.

[@MatthewGill-nv4tb]

Pain is the tuition for true education

[@zapz]

Thanks nokia for the weekly dose of hannah fry

[@RaphaelOkai]

Now science is getting it.

[@rifz42]

when you are at the dentist, keep telling yourself that you will forget this later. also don't look when getting a needle.

[@anti-popfpv4638]

If you can find a way to master withdrawal pains like they do in Star Trek the world will be saved

[@Nick51100]

Will power

[@JpeterZoom-gt3pn]

whole-listic medicine is the answer...medicine in boxes...misses out what connects us all...our human brain...we all have one

[@knasigboll]

"Doktor, turn off my pain inhibitors!"

[@geraldstiling3735]

❤

[@squatch545]

I live with chronic flatulence.

[@elivegba8186]

I can live with you. Will inhale em all😂

[@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq]

​@@elivegba8186☹️

[@Zodliness]

If pain could be made optional pharmaceutical shareholders would face a painful decision! 🤔😂

[@krish2nasa]

1. Can you measure the mental pain and suffering of a person? Do you have an international metric for it? And where to find its historical record? 2. How ethical is it to deliberately and constantly induce traumatic or terrible or challenging experiences for prolonged periods (a decade or more) to make an adult get the advantage of neuroplasticity? 3. Are there any limits to these evil things? 4. How many ways can it end up terribly? 5. What if corrupted people/psychologists/psychiatrists trying to cover up their past committed crimes in this way as a finishing touch? Thank you very much.

[@kalfunai]

is she a full prof?

[@EK-hd7fr]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="1075">17:55</a> she needed a reason to visit Singapore

[@jimbojimbo6873]

Right just be happy… now show me the switch to turn on happiness please…

[@projectdalekmark]

Cybermen, here we come. Emotion is a weakness...

[@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq]

Pain isn't an emotion.

[@andrewlindhjem1662]

Other non-conventional ideas include hypnosis.

[@markae0]

What If Pleasure Could Be Made Optional?

[@jedics1]

If this works on financial pain as well they gona be billionaires with the life most of us have now....

[@avicohen2k]

I was hoping for more. This is decades or centuries behind. All we need to understand is the language. An electric signal or code turns it on. There's probably an electric signal, not chemical one that can turn it down. We need to find it and control it. I have been suffering from intense chronic migraine and although migraine is not just pain it is the worst part of it. I have tried all the wishy-washy approaches including eastern medicine and meditation, yoga and of course psychological therapy to combat the pain but they didn't change a thing. Only drugs really work and not all the time.

[@ammarsawi]

My mom is divinely allowed to hurt me 😅 just kidding

[@Chewy427]

utilitarians real quiet since this dropped

[@RokeJulianLockhart.s13ouq]

Can you elaborate?

[@V01DIORE]

Well I think this goes to aid the negative utilitarian objective.

[@beginnereasy]

The religions ask you to be circumcised and endure suffering. They made you circumcised. Did they make you suffer?????

[@arknewman]

This technology will probably be used for enhanced interrogation.

[@ParadoX-yh1py]

if pain goes pleasure also go. We must understand thtat

[@infiniteworfare5089]

we shouldnt fool around with the brain when we dont know what causes suffering to exists. sadly these scientists dont listen. they are worse than spoiled brats.

[@PainlessPete]

That's a common misconception. The feeling of pain isn't connected to pleasure. If that were the case, I wouldn't see much point in existing.

[@V01DIORE]

It doesn’t though, different electro-chemical processes.

[@marcdefaoite]

I kept waiting for the bit about redheads being more pain tolerant (bizarre, but apparently true). Seems like a missed opportunity.

[@7paris1]

Future looking terrible 🔥🔥

[@jcoop3660]

Bio feedback doesnt do much for most, tizanidine made more of a difference for me than anything else yet including surgery. I beleive acupuncture is a joke, did nothing but annoy me. a sadistic joke.

[@patrick247two]

Don't make pain optional, however would torture work?

[@jcoop3660]

Pain is a signal from pain transmitters, to your brain to let you know of abnormalaties in physical attributes.

[@cnutjay]

The Catholic Church just entered the chat

[@thabiforJesus5]

REPENT SINNERS JESUS CHRIST SAVES ✝️✅

[@chrisklugh]

Impossible. Our 'Reality' for a lack of a better analogy, is a Pain Simulator. The only way to turn off the pain is to die and quit the Simulation.

[@alicharlie8146]

Iggy Azalea? Hannah?

[@Chachi21]

I love pain, it’s the only thing that makes me feel alive:

[@DavidPearce1]

No one is proposing coercive painlessness. What's in question is whether sentient beings should be forced to suffer. Pain destroys far more meaning than it creates.

[@Chachi21]

@@DavidPearce1 Wrong pains reminds you of life

[@Remcore020]

What kind of voodoo "somewhere in the future" BS is this? A Hannah fry does not make it true😂

[@devinrogers4885]

Pain is already optional for most people watching this video

[@air-ren]

we need pain though? its a part of what makes us human.

[@V01DIORE]

Get over your empty platitudes, you can deny treatment if you want… remember that if you need surgery.

[@navidhakimi7122]

You had the budget and opportunity to go deep on an extremely important topic. What you did was very wishy washy.

[@andreaskrbyravn855]

Extreme pain no sign of it on her

[@KristianGoulding-zq3vx]

Touch is a special sense that removes pain.....

[@GreshmanH]

I never thought about pain being optional, I’d still probably opt in thou, I want the full human experience

[@EpiCxWoundsx]

There is zero chance you would "opt in" to pain if you had severe chronic pain

[@SamZhao-v3y]

We can always ask someone who is born without pain to see how they like it.😢😅😂

[@PainlessPete]

Well, she kind of did. 😂

[@JohnSmith-bm6zg]

No thanks

[@kizziezizzler8080]

i feel like we tried this with oxycotin?? didnt go well?

[@konradtelewig2535]

I always thought that pain is subjektive so it is optional to some extend

[@andreaskrbyravn855]

Pain is not real so

[@dankslug]

Peoples experience of pain is very real to them

[@jeremymanson1781]

Define 'real'.

[@dankslug]

@andreaskrbyravn855 google definition: Actually existing as a thing or occurring in fact; not imagined or supposed. Try telling anyone with chronic pain that their pain isn't real. It occurs, in fact.

[@jeremymanson1781]

@@dankslug I agree with you. And there is even a reality behind imagining or supposing, in that real brain activity is observed. However it is restricted to an internal experience unique to the individual. But then so is pain.

[@puiacalinadrian]

Hannah is cool, i much appreciate her devotional path🤍