There are two dimensions here -- one is that they may not feel it at all; the other is that they may feel it but not realize it's bad until it's too late, and m

There are two dimensions here -- one is that they may not feel it at all; the other is that they may feel it but not realize it's bad until it's too late, and might not attribute cause. For example, going out in the cold doesn't hurt at first, but the pain builds up. As an adult, you may react to the initial no-pain sensation because you correctly predict you'll be freezing later. Also consider that as an adult the same feeling can be both good or bad by mental context: consider a warm toilet seat -- warmed by a fancy Toto heater at home vs warmed by a stranger's buttocks in a fast food bathroom.