Cleansing the soul by hurting the flesh: The guilt-reducing effect of pain
Cleansing the soul by hurting the flesh: The guilt-reducing effect of pain
From the March 8, 2011 Science Daily news item
ScienceDaily (Mar. 8, 2011) — Lent in the Christian tradition is a time of sacrifice and penance. It also is a period of purification and enlightenment. Pain purifies. It atones for sin and cleanses the soul. Or at least that’s the idea. Theological questions aside, can self-inflicted pain really alleviate the guilt associated with immoral acts? A new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, explores the psychological consequences of experiencing bodily pain.
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