Men can take more pain than women, new research finds

Womens bodies are flooded with oestrogen during childbirth which is a pain killer. Men don't have oestrogen. An invalid response, please read the research into the subject. (not just the one highlighted by the OP)

edit on 1/11/2012 by yorkshirelad because: spelling

WRONG - it's Oxytocin that is the main hormone released during Childbirth.

I have no clue what experiencing pain (childbirth, getting stabbed, burned, whatever) has to do with pain tolerance....if you're giving birth you have no choice but to tolerate it....you're not lying there straight-faced reading a book while this is going on.....it's like me saying "My head got lit on fire so that means I have a higher pain tolerance than you." I don't think many humans out there could experience any of those things and not go, "Owwwww!"

The extent of the expression of pain depends on the strength of will of the individual. I guarantee on average, a dude will be able to handle a wallop in the head, charley horse, ribs etc. better than a women, while women on average can endure pain and discomfort for longer periods of time much better than men. This is based solely on the physical builds and tendencies of each gender, the will can always overcome, but being built to withstand an impact(physically and mentally) sure gives the guy the upper hand in tolerating that type of pain, while the way women are built (again, physically and mentally) gives them the advantage to tolerate longer periods of pain and discomfort.

Like in survivor, didn't the women always win the challenges where they had to hold their arms straight while balancing on a pole? It's just the way it goes......Personally, I'd have to give give the overall prize to the guys though, because I'm biased and I want that to be true (in an admittedly childish fashion).....call me "macho" I guess.....I dunno...but, just like most opinions out there, unable to be proven.

And geez, ladies.....you are talking about a pissing contest.....but most of the piss I've read in these posts are not of the aim-able, thin streamlined variety...just sayin'

Peace

Originally posted by mamabeth
reply to post by woodwardjnr

 

Most men are big babies themselves when it comes to pain.They
get a little scratch and they feel they need a king kong size bandaid.

edit on 1-11-2012 by mamabeth because: (no reason given)

Or for mommy to kiss it better and tell me I'm a brave soldier

I thought this issue was settled years ago? During pregnancy women's pain threshold is significantly higher than mens due to hormones that are released to help them deal with the trauma of pregnancy. When not pregnant mens pain threshold is higher (and higher still when you take into account the whole macho man thing) and is likely a carryover from back when we were throwing spears and had a rather violent lifestyle what with the whole getting beaten up while hunting wild animals and all that jazz. I didn't realise there was still debate about this or that studies still needed to be done to confirm what other studies have already confirmed? :/

Just read through the rest of the comments and about the whole "men get a scratch/flu and cry like babies" thing.. not sure about other blokes but for me it's purely an excuse for me to enjoy being pampered by the missus for a few days. If she wasn't around I wouldn't really care about that nasty cut of my sniffly nose. It's just an GREAT excuse to get some extra attention.

Men are most definitely more susceptible to emotional pain though (even though most won't admit it). Just look at what happens after a messy breakup. Girl has a cry for a week or so, then runs out and starts 'having fun' and enjoying life. Bloke sits at home, gets drunk, watches movies, mopes around the house for a few weeks then spends another month or so annoying the crud out of his mates by talking non-stop about his ex

You want pain try putting up with the mother in law that's a pain..

Err for real? Then why don´t men have babies?

I wish I could handle pain better than I do. I am the biggest wimp I know. If I get hurt, (sprain an ankle or cut myself are the norm for me) I immediately get nauseous and or pass out. And while I'm passed out, I get um..well...I get gassy to put it quite bluntly. Like not just foo foo girly farts, these came directly from Hell's own sewer.
My two besties...now these is some tough B's. Can't even go into how many times they've surprised me with their amazing pain tolerance.
I can't even watch people hurt themselves. Oh sure, in between heaves of vomit, I will try to help you but otherwise you are on your own, bud. Sorry!
My husband also has a low tolerance, but mostly because I think he knows I will coddle him.

I really think, it's down to the individual like other posters said. Maybe even by region, who knows, I just know too many people that are a contradiction to these findings.
It doesn't really matter anyway, who cares who can handle pain more, how does that better humanity, really?

Several factors to be considered here. I agree that men (average men) can withstand or perform lot more physical work than women by nature's design on average, men are generally considered weaker emotionally then women. If men were able to give birth to a baby, I'm sure their physiology would be designed accordingly to withstand the labor pain just the way nature designed women's body.

Men could lack the necessary hormones to behave like average men just the way women could lack female hormones and not behave like average women. It is clearly evident in the physiology and the proportions of the body (fat, lean, muscular, obese etc etc). At the same time, culture, wisdom, society, profession, dietary intakes, quality of food (GM vs non GM vs organic vs non-organiv), upbringing and experience shapes the mind and the body. Now the big question is what do we consider 'average'? Average in US vs China vs Australia vs South Africa etc etc is very different

I don't believe this at all.

Pain can be blocked out if the need is great enough. I'm going to use menstruation as an example. Some women endure awful pain during this time, but there's simply nothing one can do about it sometimes, and so we handle it.

Same with pregnancy, childbirth, and single mothers who take care of the house/children, with a job (or two). It's priority. Not that men don't have priorities, but women are natural caregivers and I think it's something we're designed to be capable of. In other words, women will be the first to take on such a draining role. They can handle it.

However, if you're goofing off or something and you punch a woman in the shoulder, she might make a fuss about it. I feel it's because the biological need isn't there to just suck it up and deal.

reply to post by Sissel


Obviously you.

reply to post by intrepid
*clears throat*

Yes, I am an expert in everything and anything. Do not question my logic, for I am the alpha and the omega. I am everything and I am nothing.

Take a married couple let one rack up 10 grand on the credit card and then other the same. See who is grimacing the most, it wont be the female.