Redheads have better sex redhead

New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital MGH provides insights on why people with red hair exhibit altered sensitivity to certain kinds of pain. The findings are published in Science Advances. In people with red hair as in numerous other species of animals with red fur , the pigment-producing cells of the skin -- called melanocytes -- contain a variant form of the melanocortin 1 receptor. Earlier work by David E. To investigate the mechanisms behind different pain thresholds in red-haired individuals, Fisher and his colleagues studied a strain of red-haired mice that as in humans contains a variant that lacks melanocortin 1 receptor function and also exhibits higher pain thresholds. The team found that loss of melanocortin 1 receptor function in the red-haired mice caused the animals' melanocytes to secrete lower levels of a molecule called POMC proopiomelanocortin that is subsequently cut into different hormones including one that sensitizes to pain and one that blocks pain.

Not only are they more likely to burn when the mercury rises, but they also feel the most pain when it drops. Researchers at Louisville University in Kentucky have discovered that people with ginger hair are more sensitive than most. A study released yesterday shows that the presence of a ginger gene means many redheads need extra doses of anaesthetic during surgery because they suffer pain more acutely. Scientists compared the pain tolerance of 60 ginger-haired volunteers with 60 brunettes. The redheads began to feel pain at around 6C 43F , unlike the volunteers with dark hair, who did not really begin to flinch until the temperature got down to freezing. Researchers think that the ginger gene, known as MC1R, may cause the temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to the cold.

Redheads feel more pain, studies have shown. At least, a different kind of pain. To say that redheads have their own charm would be an understatement, but it has also had its downsides — particularly during the Dark Ages , when gingers were often considered witches or heretics. Red hair is most commonly found in the northern and western parts of Europe, especially in and around the British Isles.

Being born with red hair is quite the curse blessing. While you automatically stand out in a crowd win! The struggle is real. Here are 11 issues all redheads can relate to:.