Editing Distraction (section)

==In medicine==
[[Image:CloveEssOil.png|thumb|[[Clove oil]] (''Syzygium aromaticum'') essential oil in glass vial]]
Distraction is useful in the management of pain and anxiety. Dentists, for example may intentionally hum an annoying tune or engage in small talk just to create a diversion from the dental surgery process. Topical ointments containing [[capsaicin]], provide a superficial burning sensation that can momentarily distract a patient's attention away from the more serious pain of arthritis or muscle strain. A similar effect is made by [[oil of cloves]], which produces a burning sensation on the gums, and distracts from [[toothache]].

Distraction is often used as a coping mechanism for short-term [[emotion]] regulation. When presented with an unpleasant reality, humans often choose to occupy their [[attention]] with some other reality in order to remain in a positive mental state. This is referred to as '[[procrastination]]' when the unpleasant reality is in the form of work. The natural human inclination to distract oneself was put to the test when the Department of [[Psychology]] at [[Humboldt University of Berlin|Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin]] (Humboldt University of Berlin) held an [[experiment]] to study distraction. The goal of the experiment was to examine whether the effects of distraction on where subjects held their attention during repeated picture processing is changed by regular emotional functions. Furthermore, they [[Hypothesis|hypothesized]] that while distraction assists in short-term emotional regulation, it is actually harmful in the long term. In order to do so, the experimenters had subjects view 15 unpleasant pictures (Set A) and "attend" to them (meaning the subjects were asked to pay full attention to the pictures). Next, the subjects were shown 15 unpleasant pictures (Set B) and were asked to distract themselves from the pictures (meaning they were to think about anything other than the picture on the screen; their example was to think about "the way to the supermarket"). Finally, the subjects were shown 15 neutral pictures (Set C) and were asked to attend to them. After 10 minutes of rest, the subjects entered the "re-exposure phase", which repeated the experiment- this time requiring the subjects to pay attention to all of the sets, including Set B. This experiment was performed on 3 separate blocks of participants. To examine the state of the subjects' brain, the subject was to wear "Ag/AgCl-electrodes from 61 head sites using an EasyCap electrode system with an equidistant electrode montage. Additional external electrodes were placed below the left (IO1) and right eye (IO2), below T1 (ground), on the nasion, and on the neck." The subjects were also asked to rate the unpleasantness of the picture on the screen on a scale of 1-9. To test whether distraction in the first phase resulted in increased responsiveness during the re-exposure phase, experimenters "compared mean unpleasantness ratings between unpleasant pictures that were previously presented in the attend (previous attention) versus distract (previous distraction) condition using a paired t-test". The end results of the experiment were as such:
* When presented with repeated neutral and unpleasant images, subjects had reduced unpleasant stimuli as reflected in their decreased LPP (late positive potential) [[amplitude]]s, but only when the participants were asked to attend to those pictures.
* When the subjects avoided confrontation with the unpleasant pictures through distraction, decrease in responsiveness was prevented as reflected in their constant LPP amplitudes.
Essentially, when exposed to an unpleasant image, the subject feels initial discomfort. However, after being exposed to it once with their full attention, the subject feels much less discomfort the second time they are exposed. When the subject distracts themselves from the initial unpleasant image, the subject feels more discomfort the second time when they are required to attend to the image. The experimenters' conclusion is thus: "the obtained results suggest that distraction inhibits elaborate processing of the stimulus' meaning and adapting to it."<ref>{{Cite journal|date=May 2016|title=The costs of distraction: The effect of distraction during repeated picture processing on the LPP|journal=Biological Psychology|volume= 117|doi=10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.04.002|pmid=27064106|pages=225–234|last1=Paul|first1=Sandra|last2=Kathmann|first2=Norbert|last3=Riesel|first3=Anja|s2cid=28950484}}</ref>