Asking people how much money they would accept to experience pain again can provide a more accurate and comparable measure of pain levels than the familiar 1–10 scale, according to an international research team led by Lancaster University.

Published in the journal Social Science & Medicine , the study indicates that people’s theoretical willingness to accept money in exchange for enduring pain offers a more reliable way to measure discomfort than conventional ‘self-reported’ measures of pain levels such as number scales or visual charts.

Lifestyle-related diseases are rapidly increasing, particularly among the lower socioeconomic brackets of the society. To address this public health concern, Japan introduced the Specific Health Checkups and Specific Health Guidance policy in 2008. The policy mandates municipalities across Japan to standardize health checkups for all populations. This study explored how the policy and its resultant expansion in municipal healthcare funds have impacted health outcomes and lifestyle behaviors among self-employed and unemployed individuals.