---
title: Do not look at the needle
date: "2002-09-11T12:00:00Z"
categories:
  - links
wp_id: 1174
description: I found scientific backing for my belief that looking away during an injection reduces pain. Avoiding visual contact with the needle can lessen the perceived intensity of the sting by decoupling visual and sensory experiences.
keywords: [pain management, injections, visual perception, medical procedures, psychology, sensory processing]
---

I always knew it. If you're taking an injection, [don't look at the needle](http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992772).