A Reddit user asked a genuine question: is there some biological explanation behind him being “out of commission” when he has a fever, or is he really weak? He described his girlfriend as someone who continued her normal routine while sick, contrasting sharply with his own experience of being bedridden.
The post was shared on r/NoStupidQuestions, and it drew 1000 comments as of publication.
The man started the post by writing that it was getting embarrassing for him, as he had started to think that he was just weak. The man wrote that whenever he is sick, he is out of commission. “If my temperature hits even a bit high, I’m already in bed feeling like I’ve been hit by a freight truck. Zero energy, full-body aches, and I literally cannot do anything except lay [sic] there and accept my fate.”
He wrote that when his girlfriend got sick, she continued her usual routine. She would clean the apartment, go to school as she is a teacher, and go about with her usual routine as if nothing happened. “I’m over here acting like a Victorian child dying of consumption, and she’s side-eyeing me while doing the dishes,” he wrote.
The man asked if there is some biological explanation for this or if women have some kind of different or better immune response. “Is ‘man flu’ an actual scientific phenomenon, or do I just have zero pain tolerance?” he asked.
The man concluded the post by writing, “Would genuinely love to hear if other guys experience this (please tell me I'm not alone) or if anyone knows the actual science behind it!” Several commenters sided with the Reddit user and shared their theory.
One commenter wrote, “I have tended to chalk it up to the broader fact that women are just more accustomed to sustained discomfort, whether that discomfort is from periods, pregnancy, menopause, or just being a woman in a world full of underwire bras and inequality.”
Another commenter wrote, “I can't speak to the science, but it shows up in my relationship somewhat. Day to day, my wife has more physical "complaints" than I do, and she gets mildly sick more often. But when I'm sick, I'm way more out of commission. The only time she's truly down for the count is on her period, where she's genuinely writhing in pain.”
A third user wrote, “Women are also culturally trained to carry on even when miserable. Women’s pain is ignored more often than men’s, and women’s heath complaints are not taken as seriously. We learn very early on to suck it up and keep going because we’re considered to be faking or fragile/useless if we don’t.”
The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the identities or experiences described in the original post or comments. The details above reflect accounts posted by individual users on r/NoStupidQuestions.
