Science Says Redheads Have Genetic Superpowers

When it comes to people, we’re all very much alike, in that, we have similar issues and human hurdles, let’s call them. From vitamin deficiencies, to pain thresholds, it can be a hard stint being a human - unless of course, you’re a ginger.

According to a report in Le Parfum de la Femme, redheads smell better than normal people.

They emit a particularly distinct aroma - described as ambergris, an earthy and sensual scent.

(Later, science proved that skin mantle — a thin, acidic film on our skin’s surface — is actually more acidic in redheads, causing perfume to more quickly evaporate when applied and potentially emitting a unique smell of its own.)

So gingers make up around two per cent of the population, the rarest combination being those blue eyes, but they’re also pretty rare and amazing in different ways.

Research indicates that redheads have higher thresholds for pain and need less vitamin D than the rest of us thanks to the MC1R gene mutation, which gives their hair its hue.

They Don’t Need As Much Vitamin D

According to La Rosa’s book, ‘The Big Redhead Book’, they don’t need as much vitamin D, because they create their own. When a redhead goes outside, he or she produces more vitamin D in a shorter amount of time than people with other hair colours. This gives an evolutionary advantage, since low levels of vitamin D can lead to ailments like rickets, diabetes and arthritis.

Redheads Handle Pain Better

A 2003 study from McGill University showed that red-headed women can tolerate up to 25 per cent more pain than people with other hair colours, according to a report on news.com.au But, by the same token, they’re harder to sedate; needing 20 per cent more general anaesthesia during surgery to put them out.

Redheads Know When It’s Getting Cold

They feel hot and cold temperatures more severely than any other hair colour. In 2005, a study from the University of Louisville discovered the hidden talent and thought that the redhead gene, MC1R, may cause the human temperature-detecting gene to become over activated.

CRAZY, right?

Source: news.com.au