This week’s Thought Starter asks where does pain come from, what does it mean, and what effect does it have on our daily lives?

Recorded live from The Pod at White City Place, our special Co-Host Sam Bompas of Bompas and Parr - the leading Architects of Taste: Feeding Minds and Stomachs, sits down with ​​Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, writer and journalist, to explore the science of pain and how it ultimately affects our survival.

Linda has recently launched her book titled 'Ouch! Why Pain Hurts, And Why It Doesn't Have To', which explores why pain is complicated. The way we treat pain is superficial – we seek out states of perfect painlessness by avoiding it at all costs, or suppressing it, usually with drugs. Through in-depth interviews, investigation into the history of pain and original research, the book paints a new picture of pain as a complex and multi-layered phenomenon.