How men and women deal with pain?

Question

I read in my sport psychology textbook about a study exploring pain tolerance and pain catastrophizing (the degree to which individuals focus on pain, exaggerate the threat of pain to their well-being, and perceive themselves as unable to cope effectively with pain) It was measured by immersing a participants arm in a cold pressor apparatus for 60 seconds (2 to 4 deg celcius)a dn obtaining a pain rating. It showed that men tolerate pain better than women and women catastrophize pain more than men.

I want to get peoples thoughts on this, I believe its true but i wonder what others think

Answer 1

Men try to tolerate it, in order to appear tough. Whereas, Women typically exaggerate (as they do with most problems).

I think it's a habit for most Women.

Answer 2

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Story?i...

Here's some other references supporting your statement.  

However, remember women do live longer than men, visit doctors more than men, perhaps because they are more sensitive to pain!  Their threshold is lower...so perhaps some survival pluses!

Answer 3

I think that everyone deals with pain in their own way, they have better pain thresholds than others.

Answer 4

According to many studies, women are more sensitive to pain because they have more nerve endings. They have a greater perception of pain. They are, however, more resistant to pain than men. I have seen those on both sides who can withstand a tremendous amount of pain and those who will "p**s and moan" over the slightest discomfort.

Edit: Sorry if the wording was confusing. What I meant is that women FEEL the same pain more intensely, but if a man and a woman were in the same excrutiating pain (I will cite chilbirth as an example) women are less likely to hyperventilate, vomit, experience tachycardia or an acute confusional state, or even faint from the pain. They also recover more quickly.

Answer 5

This seems to be your interpretation.  Too bad you didn't provide the real definition of pain catastrophizing.   (And provide a cite to the "study".)  This study seems to contradict another 150 that have different findings.

edit:  REAL definition   -  Sullivan 2000 is not the full cite.

Answer 6

Yeah well you're insulting people without looking at all the facts.  You are only looking at one study, how can just one study be the absolute truth?

Anyway, it pisses me off that men put down women because they feel pain while giving birth.

If men were to have their bellies punched repeatedly over and over, 30 times in one minute, lasting for several hours and then imagine the feeling of something as large as a coconut forcing and tearing its way down your r****m and ripping your a**s as it comes out, well then you guys will have some idea as to what childbirth feels like.

Gave birth to 3 babies and that's the best way I can describe the pain and no exaggeration either.

It just sounds like it that's all. To post a biased study about how women catastrophise pain is not really endearing to the questioner.  

With women, birthing may have been done for thousands of years but the way humans have evolved-to become more upright, means that women's bodies have changed making birth more difficult.

Newsflash- have seen men before cry like babies when they have a slight injury and nevermind when they are sick with a cold or something.

Answer 7

Of course women exaggerate the pain, we get worked up over a broken finger nail

Answer 8

I believe it's true as well. It's ridiculous that women think they can tolerate pain better because they give birth. Until men give birth and tolerate the pain WORSE than women, that really proves nothing.

Answer 9

Personally I have a pretty high tolerance to pain. not extremely high..but high enough that things like needles and other sharp implemants do not really bother me.

But i have a very particular weakness to coldness. if i even get slightly cold my nose starts running and i dont feel well.

more cold? my joints stiffen up and i get very sleepy but cannot sleep..

the coldness you described...i would not be able to keep my arm in the whole 60 seconds. after 10-15 seconds i would most likely be crying..if not screaming from the pain.

on my part..its not catastrophizing. it is actual sensitivity and real pain.