Research has shown that people with red hair perceive pain differently than others. They may be more sensitive to certain types of pain and can require higher doses of some pain-killing medications. However, studies suggest that their general pain tolerance may be higher.
The absence of melanocortin 1 receptor activity in the red-haired mice prompted their melanocytes to generate less POMC. This results in the splitting of POMC into several hormones, one of which increases sensitivity to pain and another that reduces sensitivity to pain.
This was followed by a small study published in the journal Anesthesiology, which found that women with red hair required up to 20% more anesthesia to keep them sedated than did women with dark hair.
But if it is the case that redheads are more sensitive to pain and need more anesthesia, the cause is likely genetic. Researchers theorize that the link is because of a receptor on certain cells that normally lend pigment to people's skin and hair. In red-headed people, this receptor doesn't function properly.
Differences were especially strong in pain tolerance—even though male participants had higher tolerance, female participants were less variable across visits. According to the researchers, this was the first study to measure gender differences in the test-retest reliability of pain sensitivity in humans.
Brain research
In numerous studies females score higher than males in standard tests of emotion recognition, social sensitivity and empathy.
"Human studies more reliably show that men have higher pain thresholds than women, and some show that men have a higher pain tolerance as well," Graham adds. Another way of thinking about these results, she points out, is that women show more sensitivity to pain. There are several explanations for the variability.
Strawberry blonde therefore belongs to the red hair group. 'Strawberry blonde is the lightest shade of red hair. Other tones in this color group include mahogany, copper and Irish red.
Having red hair and blue eyes is the rarest hair/eye color combination possible. The odds of a person having both of those recessive traits is around 0.17%.
Humans and mice with red hair have a different tolerance for pain because their skin's pigment-producing cells lack the function of a certain receptor. Lack of this receptor function causes changes that tip the balance between pain sensitivity and pain tolerance.
“Redheads need to be aware that they are likely more sensitive to opioids,” she says. “And they should avoid taking extra doses without talking to their doctor.”
A gene called MC1R plays a role in whether someone will have red hair. People who have certain variants in this gene are more likely to have red hair because they have higher levels of pheomelanin.
Redheads probably won't go grey. That's because the pigment just fades over time. So they will probably go blonde and even white, but not grey. Rumor says Hitler banned marriage between redheads.
People with darker skin and the ability to tan have high eumelanin levels and low pheomelanin levels. Redheads, however, have low levels of eumelanin and high pheomelanin levels. Pheomelanin's pinkish colour also explains the red pigments found in ginger hair, and in most cases, a warm, rosy skin tone, too.
For starters, redheads typically have fair complexions and are more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer. Some people with red hair also experience pain differently, or they can look older than they are. At the same time, redheads are better at manufacturing vitamin D and have a lower prostate cancer risk.
As a group, redheads seem to be more likely to develop certain health conditions and have certain health risks. These include: Increased skin cancer risk. Altered sensitivity to pain.
But here's the thing. Despite its popularity, strawberry blonde hair only occurs naturally in between 1 and 2 percent of the world's total population — which means it takes hair color and technique to make it happen for the rest of us. In fact, it's a hue that's been rare yet in demand for centuries.
The rarest hair and eye color combination is red hair with blue eyes, occurring in less than 1% of the global population.
Irish immigrants arriving in Australia looking for labour gained a reputation as heavy drinkers and fighters, with 'blue' being local slang for a fight. The term evolved to come to mean a redheaded Irishman.
Natural red hair is the rarest hair color in the world. A mere one to two percent of people are born with auburn hair. The prevalence is slightly higher in the northern and western fringes of Europe, especially the British Isles (mainly Ireland and Scotland), than in the rest of the world.
8. Blue eyed redheads are super rare. Blue eyes and red hair forms the rarest combo on earth. Most (natural) redheads will have brown eyes, followed by hazel or green shades.
For a recessive trait to be expressed the individual must be pure breeding, hence two red heads can not produce any other colour in a child.
Some people can handle more pain than others
Everyone's pain tolerance is different and can depend on a range of factors including your age, gender, genetics, culture and social environment. The way we process pain cognitively affects our pain tolerance.
A very high pain tolerance or even an inability to feel pain can be dangerous. A person may not realize a hot pan is burning them or may injure their body without fully being aware of the extent of the injury.
African-Americans exhibit lower pain tolerance and higher unpleasantness ratings than Caucasians in experimental pain studies. Several studies have compared Caucasians with Asians such as Indian and Chinese. Asians generally demonstrated lower pain tolerances than Caucasians.