Can I feel your pain?
Let's talk about that.
(
Good Mythical morning!
Life is full of pleasure...
...and pain. So in this episode,
today we're going to have the pleasure
of playing a game with Robert Kirkman,
the creator of "The Walking Dead."
And as far as pain is concerned,
do you know there are people out there who can
physically feel someone else's pain?
- Are either of us one of those people? - Hmm.
Can we feel each other's pain? There's only one way to find out.
It's time for...
♪ ♪
(
Yes, there is a rare condition called
Mirror Touch Synesthesia.
People who have this are able to feel their body being touched
just by seeing someone else being touched. Yes, this is a real thing.
Basically, their visual and tactile senses get mixed up.
There was this one study where they tested over 2,300 people
by showing them videos of actors being touched
on different parts of their hand,
and 45 of those people felt the sensation
in the exact same place on their hand.
That's not a lot of people. That's just two in 100,
so two percent of the population has this.
- Do we? - Maybe.
This condition is not limited to touch.
Some people can experience pain
- Mm-hmm. - when seeing someone else in pain,
and it's usually developed from birth.
So, Rhett and I, we've basically known each other since birth.
- Yeah. - As long as we've been living,
first grade is not that much different,
so, in some ways, conducting our version of this test
makes it the ultimate friend test.
Can I feel Rhett's pain? Can he feel mine?
If so, does that make one of us the better friend?
Let's find out. To the Pain Zone!
Okay, Rhett,
emerge from the Pain Hole.
- ( groaning ) - He's crowning.
( crying )
- Hi. - It's a bearded boy.
- ( laughter ) - It's nice in here.
I don't want to leave.
Actually, it's nice now, but it won't be for long.
- Uh-uh. - Okay, people with Mirror Touch Synesthesia
are actually activated by seeing something happen
to another person, but because we know each other so well,
we're gonna up the ante. We're only gonna look at our faces.
Okay, Rhett is going first,
and Chase is gonna be behind the Pain Wall
inflicting pain on a specific part of his body.
Now I'm gonna be watching only his face
react to the pain and then I'll say
where I felt the sensation
to see if it matches up.
If it does, I get a point.
At the end of this whole thing,
this very scientific study,
we'll know who is the better friend,
by who has the most points. You ready to get started?
No, but I'll do it.
Okay, Chase, bring the pain.
All right...
- Make eye contact with you. - Okay. Yeah.
( groans softly )
Was that the pain?
( groaning )
- What? - You don't understand
- what's happening. - ( laughter )
No--
- ( trap snaps ) - ( screams )
- ( Link laughs ) - ( snarls )
- That was the pain. - Yes! Agh!
- There's a lot of build-up to that pain. - Whoo, buddy!
- Um-- - The Pain Hole's not nice!
( laughter )
I don't like the Pain Hole!
- Whose idea was this? - ( laughter )
Now I was-- the first sensation I was feeling was--
- Sympathy? - Pleasure...
- What? - ...in my brain.
- You're not a good friend, then. - ( laughs )
Uh...honestly, I didn't feel a whole lot of pain.
I just felt-- I was very happy through the whole thing.
- I'm a little confused but, um, - That's not nice.
there was a little tweak in my lower back.
So I just feel a little lower back tension.
Well, my back is hurting from being in this posture,
- which is interesting. - Link: Oh.
But that is not where the pain came from.
- Where was the pain? - I feel like-- the pain
was on my left index finger.
I think I know what it was,
but Chase, please confirm. Come out and show me what you just did to me.
It sounded like you shot-- ooh!
- Seriously? - Yeah, it was a freakin' mouse trap.
- We're starting with a mouse trap? - ( laughter )
- Where is this going? - I feel like I should give you a half point
- because my lower back is a little pained. - Yes!
But it's gonna be every round,
- so you can't just say "lower back" every round. - Half a point this round.
I'll give you a half a point, "friend."
Welcome to the Pain Hole, Link.
Not feeling great about this.
Chase, whenever you're ready, do your worst.
( laughter )
( screams ) Ow!
( calmly ) That was it.
I'm not-- I'm totally not making this up,
I feel something in my right foot.
What do you feel?
Like a-- sort of like a heaviness.
Like my right foot got heavier when
I looked at your--
did your foot get heavy?
A little bit more of my weight was on my right foot,
but it was my right forearm that had pain.
- Ah, right forearm. - What-- what was it?
It's like rippin' out the hair off my freakin' forearm!
- You waxed me. - Wax on, wax off.
You know what? You can clone me with that.
- ( laughter) - No points.
Are you smiling or is that a pea-pain--
Pee pain. ( laughs ) Pre-pain grimace.
I hope it's not a pee pain.
- Please don't do that. - ( laughs )
Please. Whatever you do.
You just gave him ideas.
All right, give him pain. Look at me.
I really wanna get it this time.
Mm-hmm.
( vocalizing ) No.
"Eee-ahh no?"
- ( laughter) - ( grunts )
( softly ) Yeah, huh.
I'm-- my right forearm is hurting, but it's where I was waxed.
( chuckles )
I'm-- I felt, like, a tightening in my belly.
( laughs ) Oh, really?
Yeah, like, just something like--
didn't hurt that bad but it was--
- It didn't hurt at all, really. - Mm-hmm.
- But it was a tightening, so... - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm saying, the belly.
I switched to plant-based protein this morning.
- ( laughter) - In my shake.
- Maybe that's what you're feeling. - A little rumbly?
Um...it's not-- it wasn't that.
It's my right foot, believe it or not!
- Link: Oh, it wa-- - My right foot was stuck in a bucket of ice.
- Ooh! - Unless I don't know what ice feels like.
- Where is it? Yes, that's it. - Yeah, your right foot
- was in a bucket of ice. - There it is right there.
- It's a bowl of ice. - No points.
This is so freaking nerve wracking.
I don't know where the pain is gonna hit.
I don't either. ( chuckles )
- I wish I did. - Link: Just-- just connect with me.
Rhett: Can I get closer?
Connect with me.
♪ ♪
Oh, what?
Ah! Oh, no, no! No, no, no!
That's enough!
That's e-freakin-nough!
( laughter )
- Are you done with it? - Yes, they're done.
Gah.
- What... - ( laughter )
...was that?
- Golly. - Uh...
I hope this is making me a better person somehow.
Uh...
- Left thigh? - ( Link laughs )
Is that something I ate?
There's a numbness in my left thigh.
- Maybe I should just go to the doctor. - ( laughs )
- Like, right in here. Oh, I have lint. - Okay.
- That's what it is. - ( laughs )
But I'm gonna go with left thigh.
No, it was my belly!
- ( shocked ) Oh, really? - I premonitioned my own thing
- from before. - We keep thinking--
Hold on. That's a total different thing.
He freaking carpet-- Alex was in on this?
- ( laughs ) - You freaking carpet burned--
- Oh, like this? - Yeah.
Oh! Can't wait to watch that back.
What the-- what the heck?
( laughter )
- Oh, wow. - It's red, man.
Yeah.
- Hope this gets views. - ( laughs )
That's our only hope. Okay...
Give him the pain!
Look at me.
- ( whip cracks ) - Link: Whoa.
- Ooh! Dang. - No! No!
( laughter )
( screaming ) Agh!
( screaming ) Eeh!
Squealing like a pig?
- ( laughter) - ( whimpering )
( making random animal noises )
You know what? I'm not getting a strong signal.
- Can we hit it again? - No! No, no, no, no, no!
( singing ) No, no, no, no, no, no.
( sighs )
Where did I feel it?
- Are you all right? - No.
Frickin' got whipped, man.
( laughter )
( sighing )
Your eyes are watering. You crying?
( high pitched ) Lil-little bit.
( laughs ) He's crying.
- Yeah, I haven't cried in a while. - Um...
Man, I just know by the-- by the-- whip.
It can't be on the front.
I shouldn't approach this logically.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - I should channel what I felt
- in the moment. - Just feel it.
Still stinging a little bit.
I feel like it was low.
Like, I feel-- like, my left calf.
Like the back of the leg.
Right in there. Just a little tickle.
Just a little whippy-whip,
- on the back left calf. - Really?
- Yeah. - It was my booty.
- Oh. It was your booty? - It was my booty.
- What the crap was that thing? - Let me see this whip.
Who-- who do we have that's a whip-- a whip master?
- Oh, yeah. - ( laughter )
- Who-- who are you? - Anthony De Longis.
I'm not shaking your hand, Anthony. ( laughs )
- Anthony-- - Well, we already kinda met.
- ( blows whip end ) - ( laughs )
You whipped him with that on the heinie?
I did, I did.
- Yeah, I felt it. - Showbiz.
- ( laughs ) - You guys gonna hang out later?
( stammering ) I think maybe.
Now that I'm-- now that I've gotten close to him.
- That's how my wife and I met. - ( laughter )
Okay, Link.
- Rhett: Last round. - ( electric crackle )
( laughter )
I have no points!
( whimpering, laughing ) I don't care if you get points.
- ( sighs ) - Right now, you're the better friend
unless I can sense...
where you're having your pain.
Bring it!
( zapping )
Ow!
- ( screaming ) - ( laughing )
Okay! All right!
Okay. All right. That got you.
- Yeah. - Are we sure it got him?
I'm pretty sure that's our old friend...
the Stun Cane.
But where?
- Man. - Whoo.
- You're breathing heavy. - I'm awake now.
They didn't get you right here, did they?
The only place I'm feeling anything is kinda, like--
- Your wiener? - ( snorts )
- ( laughter ) - Besides the wiener...
- ( zapping ) - You know how much
I like getting shocked in the wiener.
I just feel something in the lower body,
but I-- it's just left--
Did I say right thigh? Maybe something's wrong with my left thigh.
Because now I'm feeling it again in the back--
the left hamstring.
- Is that your guess? - Yes.
You're very close. It was my left calf!
I "premonished" it again!
It was my friggin' left calf.
I'll give you half a point.
- Half a point? 'Cause I was the right-- - Bring it!
Bring out the cane!
- Oh gosh! - ( laughter )
Oh, I wonder who this is.
Reveal yourself, knight.
- ( laughs ) - Ah! You!
- I thought it was over! - She got you again!
- It ain't over, Jen. - It's never over.
- It ain't over. - Look at those frickin' boots!
Yeah, I rolled my ankle twice back there.
Oh, poor Jen. She rolled her ankle, everybody.
Okay, so I think the conclusion is,
neither one of us are very good friends,
at least when it comes to feeling each other's pain.
We each combined for one point. ( chuckles )
But I'll never forget what we went through together.
And I will never forget what you've done to me.
- Never. - The list grows!
Stick around and watch us make whipped cream
with our new friend, The Bull Whipper.
( laughs ) What?
Rhett:
when you forget yours. Get a GMM hoodie
from mythical.store and be a good friend.
( sound slowed )