International Men's Day aims to raise men's awareness of health issues. It has been held annually on November 3rd since 2000. Mikhail Gorbachev is its patron. Men's life expectancy is, on average, seven years shorter than women's.

Do men suffer differently than women?
Women experience pain more intensely than men, a phenomenon influenced by biological factors, social expectations of gender, and how people cope with pain. Studies show that female hormones like estrogen amplify pain, while male hormones reduce sensitivity.

The perception and processing of pain also differs. In women, the part of the brain responsible for emotions is more strongly activated by painful stimuli. However, women talk about their pain far less often than men. 66 percent of women, but only 20 percent of men, keep their suffering to themselves.

But women are also more likely to seek help. "They are better pain experts," says Professor Göbel. "Femininity and pain are closely linked in many cultures. In China, girls' feet were wrapped tightly in cloths to keep them small. The associated pain accompanied the women throughout their lives."

When women suffer, they tend to focus more on the emotional and interpersonal aspects. They think about the consequences of their suffering; a typical statement for them is: "I can no longer go shopping for my family because the bags are too heavy for my shoulder pain." However, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders related to pain also occur more frequently in women than in the supposedly stronger sex. "Men are more likely to ignore the pain and initially try to solve the problem themselves," says Professor Göbel. Men describe pain in a symptom-oriented way and are more likely to interpret pain, but often incorrectly.

Key facts in brief:

How do both genders typically express their pain?

• In experimental studies, men are embarrassed to show pain. Women, on the other hand, report anxiety and irritation earlier and communicate this to those around them.
• Male participants report significantly less pain to attractive female experimenters in the experiment.
• In contrast, female participants report more pain, and more intensely, to attractive male experimenters than to female experimenters of the same sex.
• Conversely, women and men are treated differently in pain therapy. Women receive less intensive medical assessments, and pain management services for women are less comprehensive than for men.
• Women focus more on the emotional and interpersonal aspects of pain. Men, in contrast, pursue problem-solving and instrumental strategies.
• Women have a wider range of options available to them when coping with pain. They are more likely to seek help, seek more extensive social support, take medication more often, and consult a doctor earlier.
• Men, on the other hand, more frequently ignore pain and reinterpret its causes. They try to solve the problem themselves.
• The consequence can be faster chronicity, futile warnings about potential damage, and overexertion.
• On the other hand, pain-related illnesses are more common in women than in men. For example, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders occur more frequently in women than in men in connection with pain.

What are the reasons for the differences?

• Studies show that the perception and processing of pain is organized differently in men and women.
• In psychophysical experiments, women are almost twice as sensitive to pain stimuli as men. They also show greater differences in the lateralization of pain sensitivity between the left and right sides of the body, and the circadian rhythm of pain perception differs between women and men.
• Brain scans using positron emission tomography (PET) show that the male and female brains react differently to the same pain stimuli. In women, the limbic system, which is responsible for the emotional tone of pain, is more strongly activated than in men.
• Women therefore experience the affective and emotional components of pain more intensely than men. In contrast to women, the male brain shows greater activity in the cognitive and analytical areas of perception in response to pain stimuli.
• These gender-specific differences can be explained evolutionarily. The cognitive areas of the male brain must be more strongly activated as part of the body's defense mechanisms in the face of pain and stress.
• Activation of the limbic brain regions, on the other hand, leads to increased internal protection of the family, with the woman's bond to the family and a focus on maintaining cohesion.
• Hormones can also influence pain perception and processing. Women who underwent treatment with the male hormone testosterone as part of gender reassignment report that they are now less sensitive to pain as men than they were previously as women. Testosterone appears to reduce pain sensitivity,
• whereas estrogens seem to inhibit pain-inhibiting mechanisms and increase pain sensitivity. It appears that hormonal fluctuations, rather than the absolute hormone level, are relevant.