Good intentions can sooth pain, increase pleasure and make things taste better, study finds The power of good intentions to shape physical experience was demonstrated in three separate experiments: the first examined pain, the second examined pleasure, and the third examined the taste of a sweet treat. The findings of the studies suggest clear applications. For example, the first experiment suggests that medical personal should make sure to brush up on their bedside manner. "How painful people find medical procedures depends in part upon the perceived intentions of the person administering it," says Gray. Getting blood taken from stony-faced nurse hurts more than from an empathic one. For those in relationships, the message is to make sure your partner, sibling or friend knows you care. Gray notes, "It's not enough just to do good things for your partner - they have to know you want them to feel good. Just imagine saying, 'fine, here's your stupid hug,' - hardly comforting. The same would also seem to apply to cooking, where emphasizing your concern about the experience of the diners makes things taste better. Relatedly, these results also apply to business strategy. "It's no surprise," says Gray, "that food companies always pair their products with kindly old grandfathers and smiling mothers - thinking of this make believe benevolence likely increases our enjoyment." The study also suggests the general benefits of thinking that others mean well - including God. "Painful events attributed to a benevolent God should seem to hurt less than those attributed to a vengeful God," says Gray. "To the extent that we view others as benevolent instead of malicious, the harms they inflict upon us should hurt less, and the good things they do for us should cause more pleasure," the paper concludes. Stolen parking places cut less deep and home-cooked meals taste better when we think well of others.