why is pain said to be subjective?

Answer 1

Because one can only experience their own pain. There is no way to quantify it and make it relative to any group of people.

Answer 2

Pain is the body's way of telling the brain that stimuli of a harmful nature has occurred. It can be interpreted by the brain as something that has to end, and it does so by a release of neurotransmitters. For some, adrenaline is the released chemical, producing the typical "fight or flight" mental response. In other circumstances, endorphins at on the pleasure centres of the brain to induce sensation of euphoria, intending to dull the pain while changing the thought process.

In either case, pain is subjective because it is only felt by the person experiencing it. No doctor or other profession has ever been able to disperse pain from one individual to another. Empathic responses are of a different nature as that is emotional rather than a reaction to something physical, a different mental process.

Each individual's brain is different and yields differing neurotransmitter releases for the same stimuli. Some crave pain as they see past that in favour of a different response elsewhere, such as a body builder inducing pain by lifting weights seeks gain from rebuilt muscles of higher density. Others would decline to participate in that "no pain, no gain" mentality. Neither position is better than the other; just simply different, all dependent on the subjective perception of a given stimuli.

Answer 3

From a scientific point of view, no one has designed an experiment to prove conclusively that anything one person experiences is the same as another persons perceptions. Pain can largely be made objective with large amounts of data and good statistical analysis. Care is needed here, as I have seen many poorly designed experiments and worse analysis.

Answer 4

it has always seemed to be common knowledge that people have higher and lower tolerance to pain (and stress , emotional situations etc.) . also there has been people who have withstood torture and such by devising coping devices while others fail . it is subjective , in my opinion . i think that the better question might be why can one person , regardless of it being a natural occurrence , or a learned response , withstand pain better than the next ?

Answer 5

Because every person has different levels of tolerance and actual feeling. The cause of the pain might be the same, but the experience of it is not.

Answer 6

because pain requires a subject, an experiencer.

Answer 7

Matches the definition.

Same reason the sky is said to be blue.

Answer 8

pain is good, it says that you are alive.

think about it for a sec.

Answer 9

because it varies from person to person. One person's pain is another's pleasure...