It's no secret that their pale skin makes redheads more susceptible to sunburns and skin cancers. However, some research has found a link between redhead DNA and an increased risk of melanoma. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells that produce melanin.
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.
Less expectedly, red hair is also associated with pain sensitivity, endometriosis, Parkinson's disease, decreased platelet function and, perhaps, defects in the immune system [2–11]. These associations seem to involve a risk factor not directly related to fairness of skin and vulnerability to UV.
Lifespan: up to 20 years in captivity, 5-10 years in the wild.
Some studies indicate that redheads are more prone to illness because they prefer to keep out of the sun and so lack vitamin D, or because their ability to absorb the vitamin is less efficient.
Some evidence suggests redheaded adults often appear older than their actual age. For example, one study published in 2016 in Current Biology found that adults who carry two copies of the MC1R gene variant are more likely to look two years older than other people their age.
A McGill University study found that redheads could handle more electric shocks than those with different coloured hair. Other research discovered that gingers are better at handling stabbing or sharp pain.
Fun facts about red hair strands
Redheads are less likely to go grey. The pigment in red hair typically fades over time from red to blonde and white, but not grey. Redheads produce more Vitamin D in a shorter amount of time than people with other hair colors.
According to an article by evolutionary biology professor Mark Elgar, PhD, of the University of Melbourne, blue-eyed redheads are the absolute rarest, with 0.17% of the population having that combination of hair and eye color.
Rarest kind of redhead
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%. Instead, most redheads have brown, hazel or green eyes, according to Medical Daily.
Worldwide, only 2% of people have red hair. People with red hair are likely more sensitive to pain. This is because the gene mutation (MC1R) that causes red hair is on the same gene linked to pain receptors. It also means redheads usually need more anesthesia for dental and medical procedures.
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.
They easily detect changes in hot and cold temperatures. They may be less sensitive to electric shock, needle pricks and stinging pain on the skin.
Most (natural) redheads will have brown eyes, followed by hazel or green shades.
Whether you love a redhead or you're a redhead yourself, those vibrant tresses can actually translate into a wild bedroom experience. The stereotypical fiery redhead isn't too far from the truth. A sex researcher, from the University of Hamburg, found gingers have more sex than their blonde or brunette counterparts.
Ireland has the highest number of red-haired people per capita in the world, with the percentage of those with red hair at around 10%.
Contrary to what many people assume, redheads did not originate in Scandinavia, Scotland or Ireland, but in central Asia. Their coloring is due to a mutation in the MC1R gene that fails to produce sun-protective, skin-darkening eumelanin and instead causes pale skin, freckles and red hair.
Throughout history, artists from Sandro Botticelli to Dante Gabriel Rossetti have mined the potent symbolism of red hair to alternately suggest promiscuity, sensuality, deviousness, and—above all—otherness for centuries.
Here's why. Red hair is caused by a recessive gene and it's not possible for this gene to simply die out. Even if there were no more redheads, people would still carry the recessive gene and that gene can appear at any time. Redheads may become rarer in the future, but they aren't going anywhere.
A study headed by Dr. Edwin Liem at the University of Louisville in Kentucky found that redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold, and are hurt by the cold at temperatures nearly 11 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than others.
The conclusions come from a survey of 10,878 white Americans asked about their natural hair colour (Hispanics and African Americans were excluded to eliminate bias). The results showed the average IQ of blonde-haired women was 103.2, 102.7 for brown hair, 101.2 for red hair and 100.5 for black hair.
Someone with red hair has two copies of the MC1R gene, receiving one from each parent. The gene also carries a certain mutation in most people who have red hair. It's this variant that has been identified as playing a role in why redheads may respond to pain drugs differently than others.
These are recessive traits. The DNA for blonde hair and red hair are about equally strong. People who have DNA for both often have strawberry blonde hair.