A fundamental component in the battle of the sexes is the age old debate of which gender has it worst when it comes to pain.
The question of whether childbirth or getting kicked in the balls hurts more has ignited furious arguments between men and women as both sides fight to win the crown of being the gender who suffers the most pain.
A recent scientific YouTube video by AsapSCIENCE, which attempts to tackle this controversial issue has since garnered more than 600,00 views in 1 week. The 4 minute long video filled with cute cartoon illustrations presents a compelling case for both sides and manages to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
If you want to know whether childbirth or getting kicked in the balls hurts more, we’ll tell you!
What is pain?
The logical starting point to settle this debate is the fundamental question of ‘what is pain?’ According to the makers of the video, pain is felt by specialised nerve cells called nociceptors. These nerve cells will only be activated when a certain pain threshold is passed. It will then send signals to your brain and spinal cord, which causes you to feel the undesirable sensation of pain.
Male human testicles are covered with numerous nociceptors, which explains why the pain felt when a man is kicked in the balls is so extreme.
Furthermore, the nociceptors surrounding the testicles are connected to the stomach and the vomit center in the brain, which explains why men often feel nauseous and extreme pain throughout the abdominal area. The fact that testicles have little protection makes them especially more vulnerable and the pain felt, more severe.
But before men start gloating, women too have a very strong case on their side. Childbirth closely resembles the extreme pain felt by men when their testicles are attacked.
Add the fact that the process of childbirth is excruciatingly long, lasting an average of eight hours and is often accompanied by nausea, fatigue and tension, builds a really solid case for the ladies.
So who wins?
The video ends with the safe conclusion that it is a tie this time in the battle of the sexes. The video explains that pain is a very subjective experience, which means that everyone perceives pain in a different manner.
Pain can even be influenced by other factors such as mood, alertness and previous experiences as well, making it even more difficult to measure.
There is currently no objective and reliable way of measuring pain and the popular myth that pain is measured in units called ‘del’ is completely false. In conclusion, this debate is one debate which does not have a clear winner.
Childbirth vs. getting kicked in the balls: Moral of the story
The real question we should ask ourselves now is why are men and women even fighting over this issue? Whether childbirth or getting kicked in the balls hurts more is not going to change the severity of the pain felt when you do go through it. Neither is it going to make you or your gender any more superior.
Nevertheless, this video does present an interesting take on this age old debate in an entertaining but educational video, and both men and women should definitely take some time out to check out the full video below:
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore
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