Study of Affect Induction for Lab Induced Pain in Healthy Undergraduates

Study Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to test if a mindfulness-enhanced positive affect induction (MPAI) works well to reduce pain intensity and pain unpleasantness from a cold water pain test in undergraduate college students who do not endorse ongoing medical or mental health diagnoses. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is the MPAI a feasible and acceptable psychological technique for managing brief pain? * Does the MPAI work well to reduce pain intensity and unpleasantness from experimentally induced brief pain, compared to those using a breathing meditation or those instructed to respond naturally. * Does using the MPAI work well to improve confidence in self-managing brief pain? Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires about their sleep, pain beliefs, and emotions after consenting to participate and at the end of the study session. They will then be randomized to either: * Use the MPAI for managing pain induced by a cold water test (placing their hand in a container of cold water kept at approximately 5 degrees Celsius). * Use a breathing meditation for managing pain induced by a cold water test (placing their hand in a container of cold water kept at approximately 5 degrees Celsius). * Respond naturally to pain induced by a cold water test (placing their hand in a container of cold water kept at approximately 5 degrees Celsius). Researchers will compare the MPAI group to the breathing meditation and natural response groups to see if the MPAI group reports less pain from the cold water test and

Primary Outcome

Pain tolerance will be assessed via the amount of time (i.e., number of seconds) until participants remove their hand from the cold water during the cold pressor test (CPT). CPT duration will be timed via a stopwatch and will begin when the participant's hand is submerged in the cold water up to the wrist and will stop immediately when the hand is removed. More time in the water will be indicative of greater pain tolerance. Water temperature will be maintained at 5 degrees Celsius to optimize po

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Mindfulness-enhanced positive affect induction
• BEHAVIORAL Breathing Meditation