Ever heard that when a man catches a cold, it’s “the worst flu in history?”
We’ve all seen it: a guy rugged up on the couch feeling sorry for himself while his sick partner works from home, does chores, and looks after him.
The phrase “man flu” has even made its way into the Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries!
But are the fellas just putting it on? Maybe not.
A study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research suggests it could be down to biology.
While the study doesn’t fully endorse the “man flu” hypothesis, it found that women recover faster from acute rhinosinusitis (inflammation of the nasal passages and sinuses) than men. Even though women reported worse symptoms initially, men reported a slower improvement over time.
Aussie media doctor, Dr Sam Hay, told news.com.au “that men often have weaker immune responses to viral infections, experience more severe symptoms and take longer to recover from common infections like the flu or colds”.
Why?
Dr Hay explained that oestrogen, the dominant female hormone, gives the immune system a helpful boost. It ramps up virus-fighting cells, improves antibody production, and reduces inflammation. “Testosterone, on the other hand, does the opposite,” Dr Hay explains.
It’s also been shown that women respond more effectively to vaccinations than men.
However, when looking at more objective tests that were conducted, the study did state that that the “*gender effect was only found for emotional symptoms”.
So, what’s the verdict?
While the study says there’s “some evidence to discard the concept of ‘man flu’”, it finishes by saying “more research in this field is warranted.”
Based on all this, is it time to cut the blokes some slack when they’re sick?
