The painful truth
Women may not be as tough as they think
13 April 2012
Women believe their men are wimps who retreat to their beds at the slightest sign of sickness. They, on the other hand, soldier on regardless of any ailment.
But experts have nailed the claim as a female myth. Researchers say that, thanks to a protein called GIRK2, men are far more resilient to pain.
Male mice lacking the protein had a lower pain threshold than normal - much more like that of females, the US team found.
The researchers hope their findings will lead to the development of 'his and hers' painkillers.
But sceptics dismissed the results. 'It's a gross oversimplification to say there's a gender difference in response to pain,' said University of Leicester expert David Rowbotham 'Pain is a lot more complex in humans than animals'.
