Study Shows Men Are Tougher Than Women

Men always knew it, but were afraid to say it. Now we have scientific evidence. Men tolerate pain better than women. So there (sticking out my tongue at you).

After reviewing the findings of several studies, scientists at the University of Bath have concluded that men have a higher pain threshold than women primarily because women tend to form an emotional attachment to pain.

Men join me, please, as we all ask, “say what?”

The conclusion has to do with the coping mechanisms used by the respective genders. Men look for solutions to the pain in order to cope and move on so they can get back to work. Women seem to try and “understand” the pain, causing them more anxiety and then a more intense experience of the pain.

Further, women report more pain throughout their lifetimes, in more bodily areas, and for longer durations.

This is in contrast to the popular belief that the pain of childbirth makes women naturally more immune to pain. It is also contradicts the popular notion (usually propagated by women) that men are huge wussies when it comes to pain, retreating to bed at the slightest discomfort.

The most notable experiment reviewed was one where subjects had their pain response tested with cold water baths. Volunteers placed an arm in warm water (98.6 degrees F), and then transferred the arm to a cold water bath just above freezing.

Women tested in this manner noticed the pain sooner than men and withdrew from the icy water sooner as well, finding the pain intolerable.

“Until fairly recently it was controversial to suggest that there were any differences between males and females in the perception and experience of pain, but that is no longer the case,” said Dr Ed Keogh, of the Pain Management Unit at the University of Bath.

Keogh went on to explain that most studies focused on biological mechanisms, like genetic and hormonal differences. But lately research is indicating that social and psychological factors also play a role.

While women seem to focus on emotional aspects of pain, men seem to focus on the sensory aspects, i.e., the pain itself, rather than how they feel about the pain.

“Women who concentrate on the emotional aspects of their pain may actually experience more pain as a result, possibly because the emotions associated with pain are negative,” said Keogh.