"I know your pain": proximal and distal predictors of pain detection accuracy.

The aim of this research was to examine predictors of pain detection accuracy. In Study 1 (n = 160, undergraduates), the predictors were distal factors (empathy, emotion recognition, family history, and past experiences with pain), and in Study 2 (n = 104, undergraduates), the predictor was a proximal factor (an experimentally induced experience of pain). Results showed that having past and an immediate experience with pain as well as being more empathic were associated with higher pain detection accuracy scores. Men were more accurate at detecting pain than women in both studies. Our findings contribute to a growing literature on pain detection and empathy.