Redheads tolerate pain better than people with other hair colors.

Is it true that Redheads tolerate pain better than people with other hair colors?

Partly. The evidence is mixed and partial: a 2024 narrative review reports higher pain tolerance in homozygous MC1R variant carriers but calls the overall findings inconclusive, while a 2005 study found redheads more sensitive to thermal pain, and a small 2010 study found red-haired women less sensitive to capsaicin-induced hyperalgesia. No source settles the general claim that redheads tolerate pain better than people with other hair colors.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 4 sources for, 1 against · Last checked 2 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Augustinsson, A., Franze, E., Almqvist, M., Stomberg, M. W., Sjöberg, C., & Jildenstål, P. (2024). Red-Haired People's Altered Responsiveness to Pain, Analgesics, and Hypnotics: Myth or Fact?-A Narrative Review.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14060583

Increased Sensitivity to Thermal Pain and Reduced Subcutaneous Lidocaine Efficacy in Redheads. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1097/00000542-200503000-00006

CR, M., VE, P., BL, F., AT, S., & M, A. (2024). A Comparative Analysis of the Efficacy of Local Anesthetics and Systemic Anesthetics in the Red-Headed Versus Non-Red-Headed Patient Population: A Comprehensive Review.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.61797

Do red-headed people feel pain differently?. (2012). skeptics.stackexchange.com. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/10469/do-red-headed-people-feel-pain-differently

Pain sensitivity and experimentally induced sensitisation in red haired females. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sjpain.2010.08.005