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

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. PTI