Why does pain hurt?

I saw a documentary called "A life without pain" It showed a few children who were born with a very rare condition where they cannot feel pain. I remember one of the mothers said "pain teaches. pain protects"

Mostly the babies were the problem, they would chew their tongues until they bled, or if they were touching something hot like the stove, they would keep touching it until they had serious burns because they couldn't feel the hot. One of the young girls had broken her leg but didn't know and continued to walk and play on it, which can cause serious damage to her body. Pain is a way to tell us when something is wrong. Another problem these children had is that they couldn't feel when they had to use the washroom.

Pain is a good way for us to learn what dangers to avoid, and it makes us want to be careful and treat our bodies well. (You won't jump off a 3rd story window for fear of getting hurt) Pain really is a way to teach and protect us. Even though it may seem like a disadvantage to feel pain, in the long run it is very good for us.

If you are interested in watching the documentary it was called "A Life Without Pain" though I had trouble finding it free online, I had to buy off iTunes store but it was very interesting! Hope this provides some insight to your question.