When you think about your daily routine are there moments when you are in significant pain? Many of us will probably answer yes to this depressing question. In fact a new study says that 1-in-4 of us say we feel some amount of pain within a given 24 hour period.

According to a study appearing in the May 3 issue of The Lancet, 28 percent of us are in pain at any given moment. The researchers also found that those with less education and lower income spend more of their time in pain [1].

The study was prepared by Alan Krueger, a professor of economics at Princeton University, and Arthur Stone, a professor of psychiatry at Stony Brook University. Some if the important findings from this study include [2]:

• The less education and income a person had, the greater the pain rating they reported. People without a high school diploma had twice the average pain rating of college graduates.
• Those with an income below $30,000 a year had nearly twice the average pain rating of those who made $100,000 or more a year.
• The average pain rating increased with age, although it reached a plateau between ages 45 to 75, with little difference between women and men. People reported more pain as they entered their mid-70s.

Money might not buy happiness, but it will alleviate the amount of pain you feel. I knew it! It’s just so darn painful trying to accumulate it.

Reference:

1. Princeton University (2008, May 2). People With Less Education And Lower Income Spend More Time In Pain, Study Finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 2, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/05/080502081604.htm
2. http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20080501/
   less-income-more-pain?src=RSS_PUBLIC

Links:
[sciencedaily] [webmd]