An aching back, a bad knee, a recurring headache.

For many people, this kind of pain is a daily fact of life.

More than 20% of U.S. adults suffer from some form of chronic pain,

and health economists have estimated that chronic pain costs the U.S. up to $633 billion per year in medical expenses and

loss productivity. For many chronic pain sufferers, effective treatment remains elusive,

with doctors' visits, medications, and even surgeries, giving little in the way of relief.

But in recent years, research by psychologists and other scientists has begun to suggest

that for at least some people, the answer to chronic pain may come not from healing the

body, but from treating the mind.

What does that mean?

How does it work?

What's the relationship between our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about

pain and the actual pain that we feel? What does pain look like in the brain? Why do

placebos work? And how can we use what scientists are learning about the brain basis of pain

to develop effective new treatments for it? Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological Association

that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life.

I'm Kim Mills.

Our guest today is Dr. Tor Wager, the director of the cognitive and effective neuroscience laboratory

at Dartmouth University.

Broadly speaking, Dr. Wager studies how people's thoughts, beliefs, and expectations affect

the brain and body.

He has a particular interest in the experience of pain.

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