Gingers experience the world differently to everyone else, science says

We all know (and love) a ginger – heck, you may even be one yourself, but here’s some news that will shock you. Because of “science”, redheads actually experience the world in a different way to people with other hair colours. 

One of the main differences is how they (potentially you) feel pain – they got it worse, basically. Certain types of pain affect gingers on a higher level than people without lovely orange locks – it might even require them to need more anesthetic during hospital procedures. They are also more susceptible to the cold, so it is essential that these hospital procedures are carried out inside, not in the car-park.

This all seems to be down to a gene called MC1R - redheads have a different variant of it, which is why they have ginger hair and fair skin. The gene expresses itself in the periaqueductal gray (pronounced Ter-Oh-Dac-Till), which is the part of the brain that deals with sensation, affecting it in a different way, resulting in heightened sensitivity. If you want it explained in more detail, this handy video lays it all out for you:

But hey, it’s not all bad, some people point to the fact that this heightened sensitivity means better sex, so swings and roundabouts. Great if you’re a woman, anyway – if you’re a man, not so great.