Self-construal priming modulates pain perception: event-related potential evidence

We investigated whether and how temporary shifts in self-construals modulate neural correlates of pain perception. Event-related potentials (ERPs) to painful and non-painful electrical stimulations were recorded from adults after being primed with independent and interdependent self-construals. Electrical stimulations to the left hand elicited two negative components (N60 and N130) over the frontal /central regions and two positive components (P90 and P300) over the central/parietal regions with larger amplitudes over the right rather than the left hemispheres. Painful vs. non-painful stimulations enlarged P90, N130, and P300 amplitudes. Independent vs. interdependent self-construal priming induced larger N130 amplitudes to painful stimulations but did not affect the N130 amplitudes to non-painful stimulations. The self-construal priming effect on the P300 amplitudes to painful stimulation positively correlated with self-reported interdependence. Our ERP results suggest that temporary shifts in self-construals affect pain perception by modulating the neural activities engaged in early somatosensory and late evaluation processing of physical pain.