Do you forgo the anaesthesia at the dentist, or does even a stubbed toe feel physically unbearable? Your ability to tolerate pain determines how you cope with physically uncomfortable situations or injuries.

A lot goes into determining what you can handle pain-wise, including a complex interplay between genetic and environmental factors. You might have some genes helping you, or some aspect of your personality could be involved in how you cope with pain. An AncestryDNA^® + Traits test can help you determine whether your genes might impact your pain tolerance.

Does Pain Tolerance Impact Performance?

Pain tolerance can impact several areas of life—on and off the sport pitch. Athletes might experience pain during or after sport performance—gymnasts could sprain wrists and sprinters may strain hamstrings—but pain affects non-athletic activities, too. For example, your work or hobby may directly contribute to pain. A writer might have symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome that make typing very uncomfortable. And if you drive a car or truck for a living, you might frequently suffer from a sore lower back.

To some extent, athletes striving for peak performance learn to accept some degree of discomfort as they train their bodies to achieve their goals. But they also need to understand the distinction between discomfort and pain at a personal level. When is it okay to push through the feeling of discomfort and when should they back off because pain could be a sign of injury.

The difference between discomfort and pain is highly subjective. Ultimately it's your ability to tolerate the pain associated with different tasks or activities that can impact your performance in them.

How Genetics Affects Pain Tolerance

Determined to identify whether there are genes for pain tolerance, AncestryDNA^® scientists asked over 225,000 people, "How would you rate your pain tolerance?" Their responses, when paired with the results of their genetic tests, helped the team identify over 475 DNA markers.

Using this information, the AncestryDNA team calculated a polygenic risk score. This score helps them predict how an individual's genes will impact pain tolerance. Notably, the team found that only 5% of the variation in pain tolerance can be explained by differences in people's genes. This means that the majority of pain tolerance differences stem from environmental or non-genetic factors.

What Else Do Scientists Say About Pain Tolerance?

Regular physical activity can improve pain tolerance, according to a Norwegian study. In the study, each participant underwent a pain threshold test, which involved placing their hands in frigid water for as long as possible. Those who held their hands in the water longer were determined to have higher pain tolerance. This study tested each participant twice, up to 8 years apart. Those who self-reported being active could keep their hands in the water for significantly longer than those who were sedentary. Likewise, those who became more active before the second test tended to perform better the second time around.

Scientists also know regular physical activity can help to modulate pain. Other techniques that can improve pain tolerance include practising yoga or meditation. Additionally, vocalizing your pain—like yelling “ow!” or something similarly cathartic—has been shown to improve pain tolerance.

Different personality traits may also play a role in how you tolerate lower levels of pain.

• Focus can help you ignore the pain and keep your mind on what's important to you.
• A desire to succeed can help you push yourself to your limits.
• Determination might keep you relentlessly pursuing your goals despite the physical discomfort.

Interesting Insights About Pain Tolerance

Studies consistently show that people with naturally red hair tend to perceive pain differently than people with other hair colours. However, the mechanics behind why people with red hair tend to have higher pain thresholds aren't fully understood. In part, it appears to be related to a specific gene—the melanocortin-1 (MC1R) receptor gene—that's responsible for pigmentation of hair, skin, and eyes.

If you're curious about whether your higher or lower pain tolerance trait comes from your genes, an AncestryDNA^® + Traits test will tell you if you have genetic markers for it and related traits like determination focus. If you've already taken a test, your results are available with an Ancestry^® membership.

 

References

Årnes, Anders Pedersen, Christopher Sievert Nielsen, et al. "Longitudinal relationships between habitual physical activity and pain tolerance in the general population." PLOS ONE. May 24, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285041.

Ashkenazy, Shelly, and Freda DeKeyser Ganz. "The Differentiation Between Pain and Discomfort: A Concept Analysis of Discomfort." Pain Management Nursing. December 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2019.05.003.

Cafasso, Jacquelyn. "How to Test and Increase Your Pain Tolerance." Healthline. June 13, 2018. https://www.healthline.com/health/high-pain-tolerance.

Connolly, Maria. "Know the Difference Between Pain and Discomfort to Achieve Excellence." Neways. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://newayscenter.com/difference-between-pain-and-discomfort-achieve-excellence.

Maciejewska-Skrendo, Agnieszka, Maciej Pawlak, et al. "Can Injuries Have a Lasting Effect on the Perception of Pain in Young, Healthy Women and Men?" Sports Health. May-June 2021. doi:10.1177/1941738120953165.

"Study finds link between red hair and pain threshold." National Institutes of Health. April 20, 2021. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/study-finds-link-between-red-hair-pain-threshold.

Swee, Genevieve, Annett Schirmer. "On the Importance of Being Vocal: Saying ‘Ow’ Improves Pain Tolerance." The Journal of Pain. January 23, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2015.01.002.