Should chronic pain be a cause area?

Abstract

Chronic pain is a significant cause of suffering, with prevalence increasing in recent years. The authors examine whether chronic pain should be a cause area for effective altruists. Chronic pain is defined, and its relationship to demographic factors such as age, gender, and region is explored. The authors consider the scale, neglectedness, and solvability of chronic pain as a cause area, concluding that while there are promising avenues for reducing pain, no recommendation can be made for the entire field. However, specific low-hanging fruits with high cost-effectiveness potential are identified, including providing treatment for conditions associated with intense pain, increasing access to pain reduction for impoverished communities, and supporting high-risk, high-reward foundational research to understand the neurological underpinnings of chronic pain. – AI-generated abstract.