Have you ever heard that men couldn't bear the pain of childbirth? And to any woman stating that her boyfriend or husband is a complainer and that if the same thing happened to her she wouldn't complain? On the contrary, if she is a man, has she thought that, even though she hurts him, he should be a “tough guy” and not utter a single complaint? What is true in all these, sometimes contradictory, topics?
In other words, do men and women have a different pain threshold? Do we express pain differently? It is the perfect time to answer these questions, since the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) dedicates 2024 precisely to addressing the issue.
Pain is not a phenomenon unknown to anyone. The IASP defined it in 2020 as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience.” This experience is personal and subjective: each person lives it differently and is influenced by biological, psychological and social factors. And among such conditions are those associated with the differences between them and them. What is known so far about this matter?
To answer, we must first differentiate between sex and gender. The first refers to our biological part (genes, hormones, etc.), while the second is associated with psychosocial factors, that is, expectations, beliefs or stereotypes. Although it has usually been differentiated between two categories – man/woman or feminine/masculine – gender has considerable diversity in the way people understand it, experience it and express it.
Limiting ourselves exclusively to sex, various researchers have carried out laboratory experiments where, through pressure, cold, etc., they have caused pain to the participants and their impressions have been collected. Yes, you read correctly, someone has volunteered to have pain induced.
Their results indicate that women may be more sensitive to pain than men, meaning they have a lower threshold. However, it has also been proven that suffering from pain has a greater impact on men than on women.
That makes us wonder: where are the differences? Is it our brain or the things we do to regulate pain that makes the distinction? Are hormones involved? Science does not have a clear answer to these questions. Some studies do indeed find disparities in the hormonal or brain response to painful stimuli, but the results between the studies differ.
In fact, some of these works do not find differences between men and women when taking into account other aspects, such as the psychological variables specific to each person. Examples of these factors are the level of anxiety or the strategies that each person has to deal with negative situations.
And this leads us to ask ourselves, can gender then be involved? Indeed, sex and gender are inseparable and we must include them in the equation, since the latter has a lot to say about the perception of pain (although, until now, it has been a bit on the sidelines). An article published in the magazine PAIN explains that the stereotypes commonly assigned to women and men can influence this aspect.
Traditionally, masculinity is associated with “being a man,” with bravery and toughness, while femininity is linked to sensitivity and sociability. Researcher Oras Alabas and her collaborators found that, regardless of the sex assigned at birth, people who perceive themselves as more masculine have a higher pain threshold and tolerance. Furthermore, men are “categorized” as not very expressive, avoiding talking about pain. The female stereotype points to the opposite: that women talk and talk about it, even dramatizing it.
Do you feel identified? If so, you will express your pain based on this belief, regardless of how sensitive you are or how much it hurts.
And if you're wondering, yes, this is a very complex question, which may explain why it has been studied so little. The issue goes beyond the mere categorization between male or female, as in animals, since a whole series of psychosocial variables must be considered that may be influencing how a person perceives, processes and responds to pain.
But then, could men endure the suffering of childbirth? Would they complain more or less? The most correct answer would be “it depends”. We don't know for sure; It may also be more determined by individual issues than by the mere fact of being men.
Hopefully, during 2024, research will increase into why people experience and respond differently to pain, including the gender factor. Understanding it is essential to be able to develop effective personalized treatments against the suffering it causes.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Elena Rocío Serrano-Ibáñez is a teacher and researcher in the Department of Personality, Evaluation and Psychological Treatment of the University of Málaga; Rocío de la Vega de Carranza is a Ramón y Cajal researcher (Psychology) at the University of Málaga
