Attentional Bias Toward Cupping Therapy Marks: An Eye-Tracking Study

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Complementary Medicine
• Dermatology

Background:

• Cupping therapy offers medical benefits but can cause unpleasant skin marks.
• Patients may fear the sensation, leading to vigilance for pain-related cues.
• Skin reactions from cupping may elicit negative emotions and attentional bias.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate emotional and attentional responses to cupping therapy marks.
• To determine if individuals exhibit negative emotions and attentional bias toward these marks.
• To utilize eye-tracking methodology to assess these responses.

Main Methods:

• Fifty pain-free volunteers viewed images of skin with and without cupping marks.
• Eye movements were tracked while participants viewed paired images (cupping vs. control).
• Participants completed empathy questionnaires and rated image unpleasantness.

Main Results:

• Images with cupping marks were rated as more unpleasant.
• A significant attentional bias (longer fixation time) was observed for cupping marks.
• Higher empathy correlated with greater unpleasantness and less attentional bias to marks.

Conclusions:

• Cupping therapy's skin reactions induce negative emotions and attentional bias.
• These responses may indicate patient reluctance towards cupping therapy.
• Findings highlight the psychological impact of cupping therapy's side effects.