Pain, a Great Protector

Something interesting I read yesterday in Placebo by Dylan Evans:


The value of feeling bad is nowhere illustrated than in the case of pain. Pain, as everyone* knows, is a great protector.

... acute pain is beneficial, causing you to move quickly from damaging objects..

..Even more important is the second type of pain (which)is deep and spreading.

..it causes you to keep the wounded area as still as possible, and encourages you to take extra care to shield the area from fresh injury...

The capacity for pain then, confers an advantage on those who have it.


(* everyone, except me, I guess)