That’s because men feel less pain when a woman hurts them or asks how much pain they are than when a man does that. This is evident from a new study by Lund University in Sweden.
Who is the ‘weaker sex’ is a perennial question in studies of pain. For example, women experience pain more often and more intensely, but men really suffer more from flu – from which they also recover faster than women. Men and women differ as patients in all kinds of areas. But do men and women also have a different influence on a patient, and specifically in their experience of pain? That’s what Anna Sellgren Engskov decided Lund University to find out in Sweden.
It has previously been shown that female surgeons do their work much better than male surgeons. “It has been known for some time that there are differences between male and female doctors in the performance of their work,” said oncologist Christopher Wallis of the University of Toronto earlier Scientias.nl. According to his research, this was not only due to the operations themselves. But also with the amount of time they spend with patients, the way they communicate and the extent to which they comply with the guidelines.
Chronic pain
When it comes to chronic pain complaints, women are more often at the receiving end. “Worldwide, women have more chronic pain than men,” Jennifer Kelly previously told Scientias.nl. “They are also more likely to have recurring pain and are more likely to have multiple causes for their pain.” Previous research has already shown that a combination of certain genes, hormones, emotions and even the social role that the woman has causes her to experience pain differently. The studies form a plea for more personal treatment of men and women. Because the two sexes are still too much tarred with the same brush, Kelly also states. “Women are absolutely neglected when it comes to pain associated with treatment.”
Painful stimuli
To investigate the different influences of men and women on the pain experience of patients, the Swedish scientists conducted three different experiments with pain stimuli, in which a male or a female researcher each administered the pain stimulus and asked how they had experienced the pain. In all studies, the experimenters were dressed the same and followed the same script.
In the first part, healthy volunteers received a short laser pulse in the hollow bottom of the foot. The subjects then had to indicate to a researcher how much pain they felt on a scale from zero to one hundred. In the second experiment, the subjects were given a small device in their hand that provided an electric current as long as the participants pressed the button on it. The subjects released the button when they felt pain. In the third and final part of the study, a total of 245 patients who had just come out of surgery were asked about their pain.
Empathy
All these studies showed that when a woman gave a pain stimulus to a male subject, he indicated that he felt less pain than when a male researcher gave the same pain stimulus. That effect was strongest for the pain fibers that respond to quick and sharp pain, such as a cut or a prick. According to lead researcher Anna Sellgren Engskov, this may be because women generally show more empathy than men. For example, by smiling a lot and making direct eye contact. After all, this can influence a test subject’s experience of pain.
Higher pain threshold
According to that hypothesis, female patients should feel less pain when a woman administers the stimulus. But that was not found. Female subjects experienced no difference in pain compared to male or female researchers. Both in the experimental tests with laser and electrical stimuli and in the clinical measurement of postoperative pain. According to researchers, this could be due to a higher pain threshold, or because women are less influenced by social factors when reporting pain.
Evolution
Why would men be influenced by social factors? Maybe that has an evolutionary advantage. Researcher Amber Dance previously raised this hypothesis in a publication from 2019 in Nature. “It might be a good idea to be less sensitive to pain for a female who could be a potential mate, to show their strength and dominance.” However, this hypothesis has not yet been properly tested and there are other factors that may play a role, such as cultural norms, social expectations and personality traits.
Although much is still unclear, Sellgren Engskov hopes that their research can be used in the future for better care and pain treatment for patients. The differences she found cannot now be extended to society as a whole, “but it can matter for the individual patient.” Sellgren Engskov states that the differences between administration by male or female researchers were greatest for the most severe pain.” The researchers therefore hope that more attention will be paid to the differences between men and women in pain evaluation.
2023-11-26 15:03:32
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