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Pleasure and Pain with Michael Mosley

Michael Mosley attempts to understand how pleasure and pain work, gamely exposing himself to some painful experiments to show how and why the two are so interlinked.

Pleasure is vital for our survival - without it we wouldn't eat or have sex, and would soon die out as a species. But how does pleasure work and what gives us the most pleasure in life?

In an attempt to find out, Michael Mosley learns how the hottest chilli in the world creates euphoria in the brain, why parents have an overwhelming surge of love for their newborn child and what happens if you turn your own wedding into a chemistry experiment.

We all know that where there is pleasure, pain can't be far behind, and Michael gamely exposes himself to some painful experiments to show why the two are so interlinked. Why is pain so important and how can we measure it? How much pain are we prepared to put up with if the reward is right and what would happen if we couldn't feel pain at all? And how far is Michael prepared to go in the name of pleasure? Will he be able to overcome enormous pain and stress in order to experience one of the biggest pleasure kicks in the world?

58 minutes

Last on

Tue 3 Dec 2019 02:30

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • Wild Beasts - All The Kings Men

  • The Black Neon

    Ode To Immer Weider

  • Axwell

    Submariner

  • Efterklang

    Mirador

  • Propellerheads & David Arnold

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service

  • Air

    Mer du Japon

  • Freak Power

    Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out

  • Freak Power

    Turn on Tune in Find Joy

  • Talking Heads

    This Must be The Place

  • Ladytron

    Destroy Everything You Touch

  • Faithless

    If Loving You is Wrong

  • FC Kahuna

    Hayling

  • David Goldsmith & Andrew Britton - Nothing Matters

  • John Paul Young - Love Is In The Air

  • Brahms / O.Seiben

    Waltz By Brahms

  • Radar Bros.

    Rock of the Lake

  • Smog

    Finer Days

  • Au Revoir Simone

    Sad Song

  • Propellerheads

    Take California

  • Belle and Sebastian

    I'm A Cuckoo

  • Phoenix - Run Run Run

  • Big Country

    Fields of Fire

  • Jim Noir

    My Patch

  • Badly Drawn Boy

    Coming Into Land

  • Sufjan Stevens

    They Are Night Zombies

  • 00:02

    Wild Beasts

    All The King's Men

  • 00:03

    The Black Neon

    Ode To Immer Weider

  • 00:06

    Propellerheads & David Arnold

    On Her Majesty's Secret Service

  • 00:07

    Air

    Mer Du Japon

  • 00:25

    John Paul Young

    Love Is In The Air

  • 00:39

    Au Revoir Simone

    Sad Song

  • 00:40

    Talking Heads

    Democratic Circus

  • 00:43

    Propellerheads

    Take California & Party

  • 00:56

    Die Elfen

    Der Fluch Des Schicksalswebers - Teil 09

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Michael Mosley
Producer Victoria Bell
Executive Producer Tina Fletcher

Broadcasts