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Marc Wilson: the kindest cuts

By Marc Wilson In Psychology

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12th December, 2013
The first question at 10-year-old Isaac’s paintball birthday party was “Does it hurt?” Before the handing out of the nerf-like, spring-powered, child-friendly (oh, and fluoro-orange) paintball markers, there had been much gung-ho “I’m gonna get you!” talk. But as the start got closer, the rhetoric became a little less hawk and a little more dove. And it does sting a bit (but nothing like the real thing). Wouldn’t it be better if we didn’t feel pain? Maybe, but as with most things, pain serves a purpose. According to Professor Stephen Morley of Leeds University, writing in ...

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