Women are amazing. We give the gift of life, we are mothers, wives, daughters. We work, we raise children, and we look pretty good doing it. As Ann Rogers once said, “Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels.”

But did you know that the expression “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” may actually hold some weight?

For example, some studies have shown that women have a perfect memory for facial features.

Read on to discover more facts about the female body that you may not have known.

1. Women’s immune systems are stronger than men’s

It’s all in the genes. Researchers from Ghent University in Belgium have argued these sex-specific health disparities may be due to genetic material called microRNAs.

The main function of microRNAs in cells is to turn off specific genes. The researchers say microRNAs located on the female X chromosome may give women an immune system advantage over males.

This finding seems to hold water as another study showed that women are diagnosed with cancer less frequently than men.

2. Women have a higher pain threshold

Though of course pain is subjective, it seems to be the case that women, in general, can at least handle the discomfort of pain better, a new study has proven. According to researchers at McGill University, men rated their pain higher than women did during a series of tests. Men also were observed being more “stressed and hypersensitive” when facing individual pain than women.

3. Women detect smells better

As Charles Wysocki, a behavioral neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia, observed in his study, “It is quite difficult to block a woman’s awareness of body odor. In contrast, it seems rather easy to do so in men.”

The researchers think women are more attuned to underarm body odor because the biological data it contains helps them choose a potential partner. Well, it certainly beats Tinder.

The study tested 32 fragrances to see how well they could hide body odor. Among the male subjects, 19 of the fragrances worked to fool them. When it came to women, only two of the scents successfully overpowered the underarm pong. 

4. Women can see more colors

Women have a larger “color vocabulary” compared to men, according to research by Israel Abramov of CUNY’s Brooklyn College. Abramov asked men and women to break down the hue of a color and to assign a percentage to the categories of red, yellow, green and blue.

The results showed that women were better at distinguishing between subtle gradations than men were. This sensitivity was most evident in the middle of the color spectrum. Women were better able to distinguish tiny differences between colors that looked identical to men.

And this is why we should always be allowed to pick the paint colors in a new home.

5. Women have better memories

Have you ever had an argument with a woman only to have her bring up something from the past? Yep that’s certainly my MO and, annoying as it may, be there may be a scientific reason for this. (At least that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it.)

Studies have shown that the gender difference may be a result of the way we teach our daughters and sons to tell stories. We make memories by storytelling.

Research shows that when moms ask their kids for details about what happened in their days, they’re actually training their kids in how to remember things. Azriel Grysman, who studies gender and memory at Hamilton College, says that gender norms orient girls more toward elaboration than boys, which may lead to better memories. 

6. Women’s necks are more flexible

Have you ever noticed that when men turn around they turn their whole bodies, but women turn only their heads? This is because women have more flexible necks. Women have a much more elastic muscle structure in general.

This does however mean that women are more prone to neck pain than men.

7. Women have sensitive hearing even while sleeping

And evolution is the reason here. Women are hypersensitive to sounds during sleep so that new mothers can hear and respond to crying babies. Women are most sensitive to high pitched noises in particular.

This does sadly mean that women are more likely to suffer from sleep disorders. Earplugs are your friends here, ladies.

8. Women have one breast bigger than the other

Breast asymmetry is very common and affects more than half of all women. The old wives tale is that: the left breast is always larger because it’s positioned over the heart and therefore more blood flows through it. But the real reason is simply genetics.

The reason for this “size differential” isn’t clear — it may be because women have more breast tissue cells on one side, or the cells may be more sensitive to the effects of the hormone estrogen, which causes breast tissue cells to grow.

Though the reasons aren’t clear it is totally normal to have different sized breasts.

9. Women’s bodies keep changing into their 20s

Adolescence doesn’t meant the end of bodily changes for women. Acne, period cramps and the peak of metabolism all occur during women’s 20s. Not only that but the body can become curvier and cellulite can start developing.

The 20s is a non-stop emotional and physical development ride, but this all settles down in women’s 30s and beyond. Well that is until peri-menopause…

10. Women’s brains are more intricately hard-wired

Dr Ragini Verma, PhD, an associate professor in the department of Radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues found that women’s brains are more interconnected than men’s.

This means that women are faster at making social connections and can adapt to routine more easily. But then we knew that, didn’t we?

•March 6, 2020