Redheads are more sensitive to some kinds of pain and less sensitive to others. The explanation for
31 replies, posted
[release]
Perhaps you think that your girlfriend is a whiner when she complains about touching snow?
Or that she must be insensitive when she doesn't seem to mind ferociously hot curry sauce that sets your mouth on fire?
Take a closer look at her hair colour. It is probably red.
A range of differences
An increasing number of studies show that redheads are differently constituted in terms of pain perception and body reactions. Research reveals that redheads:
are more sensitive to cold
are less responsive to subcutaneously administered anaesthetics [under the skin]
suffer more from toothaches and are more frightened of dentists
are at greater risk of developing sclerosis and endometriosis
Some studies indicate that redheads are more prone to illness because they prefer to keep out of the sun and so lack vitamin D, or because their ability to absorb the vitamin is less efficient.
Capsaicin produces the same burning sensation in the skin as it does in the mouth when a hot chilli sauce is eaten. It is one of the best substances for testing how we experience pain because it is easy to use and produces a pain sensation without affecting muscles or other parts of the body.
A persistent rumour has also circulated about surgeons being reluctant to perform surgery on redheads because they are said to bleed more.
But this myth was recently exploded by a recent study, which showed that redheads are no different to anyone else in this respect.
Surprisingly tough
In other respects, however, redheads turn out to be tougher than other people.
Research has produced evidence that redheads are less sensitive to stinging pain in the skin.
This was shown in tests where capsaicin, the active substance in chilli, was injected into the skin to produce pain.
Facts
In recent years, research has indicated that redheaded women especially experience pain in a different way.
The evidence stems originally from experiments on female mice, and so most of the human studies have been conducted on redheaded women. But there is nothing to suggest that the different perception of pain may not equally apply to redheaded men.
"Our tests showed that redheads are less sensitive to this particular type of pain. They react less to pressure close to the injected area, or to a pinprick. They seem to be a bit better protected, and that is a really interesting finding," says Professor Lars Arendt-Nielsen of the Center for Sensory-Motor Interaction at Aalborg University.
Genetic clues
Research into the way redheads react to various substances and stimuli has produced a catalogue of differences that defies easy explanation.
They are more affected by some things and less by others.
This has led scientists to theorise that the cause of these differences is likely to be something fundamental: redheads may possess a 'redhead' gene.
Research in mice has shown that female mice with genes similar to redheaded people are easier to treat successfully with certain drugs.
Facts
It is estimated that 2 percent of the world's population is redheaded. In the northern hemisphere the figure is 6 percent and in Scotland 13 percent.
The focus of the animal studies was the receptor gene MC1R, which is responsible for producing the brown skin pigment melanin; redheads have a variant of this gene which does not produce melanin.
The question is whether there are other consequences, since there are indications that the gene is associated with the central nervous system.
"It seems that MCR1 is involved in central functions in the brain, and we know that subgroups like MC2R, MC3R and MC4R, which are also linked to redheads, have considerable involvement in brain functions. This could be the key to explaining why redheads are a little different to other people," says Arendt-Nielsen.[/release]
[url]http://sciencenordic.com/redheads-feel-different-kind-pain[/url]
Then that means its ok to kick them, right?
[quote]more frightened of dentists[/quote]
You got that right.
well it's mostly true... except I'm not afraid of dentists :tinfoil:
Wasn't this proven years ago?
[IMG]http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/4201/PreviewComp/SuperStock_4201-56809.jpg[/IMG]
me no understand
mythbusters lied to me
I bet 5 bucks that blondes are less reseptive to cold.
I bet it has something to do with lack of soul.
Well this looks set to become an intelligent thread
also didn't we allready know this?
I am invincible to everything but dentists.
I will agree with the dentists
get near me with needles and i will punch you in the face
and me having red hair and freckles makes me not agree with the sun so well
I'm not ginger but I have a lot of freckles(Pretty much faded by now, they fade as you get older), dirty blonde hair with a tint of orange in the right sun, and am pretty pale.
My friends called me a daywalker in High School since I can actually enjoy the sun. Now they don't though because the orange tint and freckles are fading away a dickload.
But enough backstory, I can actually relate to a ton of those stuff in the list. Especially the cold one. If I am holding a brand new cold drink for about 2 minutes straight then switch hands, my hand will swell up a bit. I'm not afraid of dentists but I do get a ton of toothaches from chocolate, kind of stopped eating it. The less sensitive to pain thing is a bit true too. I've never got hurt that bad in a fight. But if I get pricked or a little scratch it will swell and get itchy. If it's a gash, it doesn't hurt too bad and doesn't swell at all. I think I'd prefer a deep wound rather than a really long scratch, it's seriously annoying.
i wil have to actually say this is all not true..
Im a ginger but i don't have any affect on any of these statements and i can tan really well. :/:/
[QUOTE=mooty;35018902]i wil have to actually say this is all not true..
Im a ginger but i don't have any affect on any of these statements and i can tan really well. :/:/[/QUOTE]
gingers dont tan >>> ur not a ginger
So is that why when i kick that ginger kid at school in the ball he doesnt feel it?
[QUOTE=mooty;35018902]i wil have to actually say this is all not true..
Im a ginger but i don't have any affect on any of these statements and i can tan really well. :/:/[/QUOTE]
huh
[img_thumb]http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/422956_10100235226940121_360_43382622_173615673_n.jpg[/img_thumb]
[QUOTE=Scotchair;35018561]I bet it has something to do with lack of soul.[/QUOTE]
10% weakness to holy damage.
Meanwhile, black people are still being arrested for no reason.
I don't complain about the cold in Winter nearly as much as the rest of my family, but I always complain about the airconditioning being too cold in Summer when they're all fine with it.
I also absolutely love crazy spicy food. Curries are amazing.
[quote]This has led scientists to theorise that the cause of these differences is likely to be something fundamental: redheads may possess a 'redhead' gene.[/quote]
Well fucking duh!
[editline]6th March 2012[/editline]
[QUOTE=Rusty100;35018920]gingers dont tan >>> ur not a ginger[/QUOTE]
We get freckle tans. It works much like a regular tan, in that shirts and regular clothing produce a "tan line", but the tan itself is essentially just freckles in the "tanned" area.
[QUOTE=HiddenMyst;35020290]I don't complain about the cold in Winter nearly as much as the rest of my family, but I always complain about the airconditioning being too cold in Summer when they're all fine with it.
I also absolutely love crazy spicy food. Curries are amazing.
Well fucking duh!
[editline]6th March 2012[/editline]
We get freckle tans. It works much like a regular tan, in that shirts and regular clothing produce a "tan line", but the tan itself is essentially just freckles in the "tanned" area.[/QUOTE]
I notice that a lot of us blondes also fit the bill. In most of the things. The difference is that we actually have a soul.
[QUOTE=wraithcat;35020333]I notice that a lot of us blondes also fit the bill. In most of the things. The difference is that we actually have a soul.[/QUOTE]
wait what
I think I got cheated somewhere
[QUOTE=wraithcat;35020333]I notice that a lot of us blondes also fit the bill. In most of the things. The difference is that we actually have a soul.[/QUOTE]
Souls are overrated. I prefer having common sense and the ability to think.
I'm as blonde as snow and I have high frost / cold resistance
[QUOTE=wraithcat;35020333]I notice that a lot of us blondes also fit the bill. In most of the things. The difference is that we actually have a soul.[/QUOTE]
I thought the difference was that blondes think they're better than everybody, while gingers think they're worse then everybody.
Either way, they're both recessive inferior genes.
[QUOTE=shian;35018307]
Perhaps you think that your girlfriend is a whiner when she complains about touching snow?
Or that she must be insensitive when she doesn't seem to mind ferociously hot curry sauce that sets your mouth on fire?
[B]Take a closer look at her hair colour. It is probably red.[/B]
[/QUOTE]
'I seriously just don't understand how you can eat that much curry! Wait........
[B][I] OH MY GOD YOU'RE A FUCKING GINGER.'[/I][/B]
They are more sensitive to pain in the rear end
[QUOTE=Rents;35019590]100% resistance to holy damage.[/QUOTE]
ftfy
I swear you kick me and I punch your face in.
ITT we learn that there are a lot of redheads on facepunch.
uhhh this doesn't explain why her vagina is so sensitive
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