Skip to main content

Site navigation

  • University of Technology Sydney home
  • Home

    Home
  • For students

  • For industry

  • Research

Explore

  • Courses
  • Events
  • News
  • Stories
  • People

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Study at UTS

    • arrow_right_alt Find a course
    • arrow_right_alt Course areas
    • arrow_right_alt Undergraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Postgraduate students
    • arrow_right_alt Research Masters and PhD
    • arrow_right_alt Online study and short courses
  • Student information

    • arrow_right_alt Current students
    • arrow_right_alt New UTS students
    • arrow_right_alt Graduates (Alumni)
    • arrow_right_alt High school students
    • arrow_right_alt Indigenous students
    • arrow_right_alt International students
  • Admissions

    • arrow_right_alt How to apply
    • arrow_right_alt Entry pathways
    • arrow_right_alt Eligibility
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for students

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Apply for a coursearrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt
  • Scholarshipsarrow_right_alt
  • Featured industries

    • arrow_right_alt Agriculture and food
    • arrow_right_alt Defence and space
    • arrow_right_alt Energy and transport
    • arrow_right_alt Government and policy
    • arrow_right_alt Health and medical
    • arrow_right_alt Corporate training
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Tech Central
    • arrow_right_alt Case studies
    • arrow_right_alt Research
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for industry

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Partner with usarrow_right_alt
  • Explore

    • arrow_right_alt Explore our research
    • arrow_right_alt Research centres and institutes
    • arrow_right_alt Graduate research
    • arrow_right_alt Research partnerships
arrow_right_altVisit our hub for research

For you

  • Libraryarrow_right_alt
  • Staffarrow_right_alt
  • Alumniarrow_right_alt
  • Current studentsarrow_right_alt

POPULAR LINKS

  • Find a UTS expertarrow_right_alt
  • Research centres and institutesarrow_right_alt
  • University of Technology Sydney home
Explore the University of Technology Sydney
Category Filters:
University of Technology Sydney home University of Technology Sydney home
  1. home
  2. arrow_forward_ios ... Newsroom
  3. arrow_forward_ios ... 2024
  4. arrow_forward_ios 12
  5. arrow_forward_ios Some people say they have a high pain threshold. Here’s why

Some people say they have a high pain threshold. Here’s why

6 December 2024

Pain threshold is not the same as pain tolerance, which measures how much pain someone can endure before they require relief. Distinguishing between them is crucial, especially in research settings, write Joshua Pate and Tory Madden.

Stock picture of a young woman sitting by a window with her head in her hands. Mart Production/Pexels

Picture: Mart Production/Pexels

We’ve all heard someone claim they have a “high pain threshold” as if it’s a mark of strength or resilience. But does science support the idea that some people genuinely feel less pain than others?

Pain is an experience shaped by our psychology and social context, with many variables.

In our interviews with children about their experiences of pain, many link pain to “toughness”. It seems that social expectations shape our understanding of pain from a young age.

There are also plenty of misconceptions about pain thresholds, which contribute to health-care inequities that affect millions of people.

What is (and isn’t) a pain threshold?

A pain threshold technically refers to the point at which an event – such as heat, cold, or pressure – becomes painful.

It’s not the same as pain tolerance, which measures how much pain someone can endure before they require relief.

While these two terms often become muddled in everyday language, they describe different facets of the pain experience. Distinguishing between them is crucial, especially in research settings.

How stable is a pain threshold?

The stability of a pain threshold is controversial, and probably depends on how it is tested. Certain techniques produce fairly consistent results.

But the pain threshold may be more of a “zone of uncertainty” than a fixed point of transition from non-painful to painful.

We have argued that how variable someone’s pain threshold is may, in future, provide valuable information that could help us understand their risk of chronic pain and the best treatment options for them.

Biological influences on pain thresholds

Pain thresholds are influenced by a variety of biological factors. For now, let’s explore genetics, hormones, and the nervous and immune systems.

Sex and gender differences

Men often have higher pain thresholds than women in experimental settings. This may be due to hormonal differences, such as the influence of testosterone.

On the other hand, gender-based differences in pain sensitivity could reflect social norms that demand more stoicism from men than from women.

The redhead question

Some research has found that people with red hair may experience pain differently, due to the MC1R (melanocortin-1 receptor) gene variant.

However the mechanisms underpinning this finding are not yet clear. For example, redheads may have a lower pain threshold for certain noxious threats, such as heat, but a higher threshold for others, like electricity. Overall, the evidence is far from settled.

The nervous system in chronic pain

Some people with long-lasting pain can have lower pain thresholds. This may be due to central sensitisation, where the nervous system appears to be on higher alert for potentially harmful events.

It’s not yet clear whether some people have lower pain thresholds before they develop chronic pain, or whether their thresholds drop later. However, the presence of central sensitisation may help clinicians to work out what treatments will work best.

The immune system and pain thresholds

The immune system can influence nerve signals and pain thresholds. Inflammation in the body, such as when you have a cold or the flu, can drop your pain threshold quite suddenly.

Many people experienced a short-lived version of inflammation-induced central sensitisation when they had COVID. Suddenly, the smallest things produced a headache or body pain.

An acute injury such as an ankle sprain also triggers inflammation that drops your pain threshold. One of the reasons why ice helps an ankle sprain is it controls inflammation at the injury site, allowing your threshold for pain to recover a little.

All of these biological influences (and more) are just the beginning of the pain threshold puzzle.

Psychological influences

Psychological factors such as anxiety, fear and worrying about pain are associated with lower pain thresholds.

On the flip side, strategies like mindfulness and relaxation may raise pain thresholds.

Social influences on pain thresholds

Cultural norms shape how we perceive and express pain. Some cultures encourage stoicism, while others normalise openly vocalising discomfort.

These norms influence how health-care providers interpret and treat pain, often leading to disparities. Researchers are now zooming out to identify these sorts of social influences on pain.

Implications for pain recovery

Understanding pain thresholds is not just an academic exercise; it has practical implications for health care. Misjudging someone’s pain can lead to inadequate treatment or the overuse of pain medications.

Research has shown women and people from minoritised groups are more likely to have their pain dismissed by health-care providers.

We need to better understand pain thresholds to enable tailored pain treatments. A whole-person perspective could shake up pain treatments and usher in a more supportive, helpful version of personalised health care.

From genetics to psychology to culture, pain is as diverse and complex as the people who experience it.

Joshua Pate, Senior Lecturer in Physiotherapy, University of Technology Sydney and Tory Madden, Associate Professor and Pain Researcher, University of Cape Town

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Share
Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on LinkedIn
Back to Health and science

Related News

  • a man holds back in pain, sitting in a stationary car
    AI chatbots rival doctors for back pain advice, study finds
  • Woman receiving physiotherapy
    Can physiotherapy help endometriosis pain?
  • a person sits on a bed and clutches their back, seemingly in pain
    Why does my back get so sore when I’m sick?

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation and the Boorooberongal People of the Dharug Nation upon whose ancestral lands our campuses now stand. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands. 

University of Technology Sydney

City Campus

15 Broadway, Ultimo, NSW 2007

Get in touch with UTS

Follow us

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Facebook

A member of

  • Australian Technology Network
Use arrow keys to navigate within each column of links. Press Tab to move between columns.

Study

  • Find a course
  • Undergraduate
  • Postgraduate
  • How to apply
  • Scholarships and prizes
  • International students
  • Campus maps
  • Accommodation

Engage

  • Find an expert
  • Industry
  • News
  • Events
  • Experience UTS
  • Research
  • Stories
  • Alumni

About

  • Who we are
  • Faculties
  • Learning and teaching
  • Sustainability
  • Initiatives
  • Equity, diversity and inclusion
  • Campus and locations
  • Awards and rankings
  • UTS governance

Staff and students

  • Current students
  • Help and support
  • Library
  • Policies
  • StaffConnect
  • Working at UTS
  • UTS Handbook
  • Contact us
  • Copyright © 2025
  • ABN: 77 257 686 961
  • CRICOS provider number: 00099F
  • TEQSA provider number: PRV12060
  • TEQSA category: Australian University
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility