Why You Might Actually Want to be a Ginger

Have you ever made fun of a redhead, a.k.a. a ginger, before? Insulted them because they were different? Because of their unique hair color that you were jealous you could never have? Don't even try to lie and say that you never have because, as a ginger myself, I often fall victim to these insults, especially from many of you reading this post right now. 

A redhead (ginger)!

Not only am I constantly insulted and made fun of, I am also faced with, although less often, many questions regarding the myths surrounding my distinct red hair color (stupid ones, I might add). Out of all the myths I've heard, the most absurd one would have to be that "gingers are going extinct!" Since only about 2% of the world population are gingers, I understand why many would believe that myth; however, the real reason for this scarcity of gingers actually has to do with genetics - the trait for red hair is recessive, meaning it is often masked by the dominant traits of brown/blonde hair, thus leading to its rarity.

Anyways...that's enough about myths! Back to what I was saying! What many of you blondes and brunettes fail to realize is that the roles should be reversed, meaning I, along with all other gingers, should actually be the one insulting you. Now, you may be wondering what a person with red hair, supposedly the worst and most embarrassing hair color in your eyes, could possibly have to say about your amazing blonde/brown hair. Well, that is exactly what I am going to talk about today, and it has a little something to do with pain tolerance... 

What Exactly is Pain Tolerance?

Before I dive deep into what exactly makes gingers better than both brunettes and blondes, you must first understand what pain tolerance is and its effect on everyone's day to day lives. Pain tolerance is the maximum amount of pain that a person can bear and/or tolerate, and it differs from person to person. This specificity of each person is due to many factors, including genes, age, gender, and if you haven't already guessed it, hair color! 

This is the part where I am finally going to tell you why gingers, myself included, are better...we have a higher pain tolerance than most! Basically what this means is that we are the best. I'm obviously just kidding...or am I? Anyways, what this actually means is that we can withstand a higher amount of pain than everyone else. For example, have you ever lifted a hot bowl out of the microwave, almost dropping it at one point because of how hot it was? This, right here, is a perfect example of pain tolerance. Those who have a higher pain tolerance, such as myself, are able to carry that hot bowl much longer without almost dropping it, than those with a lower pain tolerance, such as all you brunettes and blondes out there. 

A system used to measure your pain tolerance

Let's Go More In Depth - Why do Gingers Have a Higher Pain Tolerance?

Now that you understand pain tolerance in a basic sense, let us dive deeper into why gingers, in particular, have a much higher pain tolerance than most. I'll give you a hint, it all has to do with genetics! 

Within the pigment-producing skin cells of all humans, known as melanocytes, are melanocortin 1 receptors, receptors that determine how much pheomelanin and dark coloration the body can produce (they basically determine how tan you can get). Gingers, seeing as we never get tan, lack properly functioning melanocortin I receptors. This, although extremely sad, is actually beneficial to us, in that having non-functional (tan-determining) receptors is actually one of the main reasons why we have such a high pain tolerance, something all you blondes and brunettes wouldn't understand. 

To go more in depth, having non-functional melanocortin I receptors leads to a reduction in the amount of POMC, a protein that stimulates the release of specific hormones (melanocyte stimulating hormones and beta-endorphins) into the body, being produced. With less POMC being produced, less of those hormones are released, bringing about an unbalance between the pain-inhibiting and pain-enhancing receptors within the body that control a person's pain tolerance. Although reading the word "unbalance" may sound worrisome, in actuality this "unbalance" allows for the increased activation of opioid receptors involved in preventing pain; ultimately, raising our pain tolerance and making us the best! 

A closer look at melanocytes!

So there you have it! Now you know why people with red hair (gingers), including myself obviously, are better than all those who have either blonde or brown hair. 

How Does This High Pain Tolerance Affect Other Aspects of Life?

After reading about a high pain tolerance and why exactly gingers have it, you are probably wondering just how beneficial it can actually be. Well, for one, it makes us superior over everyone else! More importantly though, having a high pain tolerance means that gingers often require lower doses of certain medications, one of which being morphine, as well as other opioids. 

A type of opioid - morphine

What Have Scientists Learned From Studying the High Pain Tolerance of Gingers?

I know you're probably tired of reading about why gingers are the best, but this is the last section, I promise! From studying the high pain tolerance of gingers, and why exactly they have it, scientists are hopeful that they will soon be able to use that information to create many new medications to treat pain. 

Although studies are still ongoing, scientists hope to create these new medications by manipulating all the signals, receptors, etc. that play a part in determining a person's pain tolerance. 

I hope that after reading this blog, you have come to realize two very important things: one, the insults and myths need to stop; and two, gingers are the best (because of our high pain tolerance, of course)!