Fascinated things about the male body you might not have known

Men often take pride in their physical strength and lack of childbirth worries. However, there are some strange things about the male body. These include colorblindness, male menopause, and other below-the-belt issues. Despite past misconceptions, studies have shown that men do have larger brains than women, particularly in areas associated with memory and spatial awareness. However, brain size does not necessarily equate to intelligence. In fact, men are more likely to receive Darwin Awards for their foolish and fatal mishaps, indicating a lack of self-preservation and intelligence compared to women.

Engaging in risky behavior might have been advantageous for cavemen. They displayed dominance by taking down dangerous prey. This strategy won them mates and first access to food, passing down strong risk-taking genes to men today. But making smart decisions for your health means checking in with your body. Hone Health can help increase muscle mass, decrease body fat, and provide more energy and focus. They offer testing and treatment for low testosterone, a common cause of these issues. 30 million men in the USA suffer from low testosterone, and most aren't aware of its effects. Previous generations had more testosterone and sperm, and modern environmental factors may be to blame. Take control by ordering Hone's at-home assessment test today.

Let's explore the male body, shall we? Check out your hand and examine the length of your index finger compared to your ring finger. For most men, their ring finger is slightly longer than their index finger due to exposure to male hormones in the womb. This effect is mainly caused by testosterone. It's not entirely clear why this occurs, but it's an interesting phenomenon nonetheless. Perhaps men in the past needed those extra millimeters on their ring fingers for a specific purpose.

Women work hard in the gym to build a toned body while some men seem to develop muscles overnight. Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone that starts pumping during puberty. Women produce it too but men produce 20 times more naturally. Testosterone affects muscle mass by partially being responsible for muscle protein synthesis. The more protein synthesized, the bigger the muscles. Synthesis rates are linked to the body's metabolic rate. More testosterone makes it easier to build muscle and burn fat. However, having too much testosterone is not always beneficial.

Many men experience balding by age 50. Women, however, rarely lose all their hair. This is due to a hereditary condition called androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness. Hair sits in tiny follicles that can shrink over time, resulting in finer, shorter, and eventually no hair. The shrinkage is caused by genetic sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a by-product of testosterone. The more natural testosterone a man has, the more DHT he potentially produces, killing off his follicles. Would you rather have a head full of hair or a muscular build with a bald head?

The question of whether giving birth or being kicked in the gonads hurts more is controversial. Pain is subjective, making it hard to compare experiences. However, research shows that women have more nerve density in their bodies than men, making them more sensitive to pain. Women also experience hormone fluctuations, which increase pain sensitivity. More research is needed to determine if men have a higher pain tolerance than women. Regardless, most men are probably glad they don't have to experience childbirth.

Social media portrays the ideal male body as having chiseled abs, big arms, a small waist, and meaty thighs. The workouts to achieve this are exhausting. However, this shape hasn't always been the standard for male beauty. In the 1870s, an overweight body was considered ideal as it indicated wealth and the ability to afford plenty of food. In the 1930s, being slim became trendy as middle-class families were no longer in fear of starving. In the 1960s, a long-haired, skinny silhouette was popularized by anti-corporate rock stars. The 1970s and 80s saw the rise of meat mountains like Arnold Schwarzenegger due to widespread steroid use. Today, an effortlessly ripped physique is the trend.

Everyone starts as women. Men wonder why they have nipples since they can't breastfeed. But here's the thing: every human was once female. Our sex is determined by our chromosomes - women have two X chromosomes and men have an X and a Y chromosome. For the first few weeks of embryonic development, the X chromosome alone influences growth. Females develop from the X chromosome, but after six weeks, the SRY gene activates the Y chromosome and initiates male development. Before this happens, female features like nipples have already developed. That's why we're all born with nipples.

Male nipples are usually just decorative and have no function. However, men can sometimes produce milk through lactation. Both men and women have breast tissue that contains milk-producing clusters called alveoli. A hormone called prolactin, produced by the pituitary gland, stimulates milk production. Women naturally produce more prolactin than men, especially during pregnancy. But men can produce milk too if they experience a surge of hormones, such as after prolonged starvation. Male survivors of World War II prison camps, for example, began lactating after receiving their first proper meals in months. This hormone spike caused their glands to produce milk.

Men and women perceive things differently due to biology. Men have more testosterone receptors in the part of the brain where images are processed. This means they are better at detecting fine detail and rapidly moving stimuli. Women are better at distinguishing colors in the middle of the visual spectrum. This is because women have better cone development and better color vision due to having more X chromosomes. According to the hunter gatherer theory, men's visual abilities would have helped them detect predators and prey, while women's would have made them better at gathering tasks.

Beards are often associated with dominance. Androgens, hormones produced during puberty, stimulate hair growth in hormone-sensitive areas. Men typically have higher levels of androgens, resulting in more body and facial hair growth. Beards can make our jaws appear larger, which may contribute to the perception of dominance. However, having a beard is not necessarily linked to higher testosterone levels or greater strength. Women historically chose men with beards, leading to the genetic passing down of this feature. So, some men may choose to keep their beards for these reasons.

The time it takes for food to travel through your digestive system can vary. It generally ranges from 24 to 72 hours. However, digestion time also depends on if you're male or female. A study from 2019 found that, on average, men took 33 hours to digest their food while women took 47 hours. Men have shorter colons than women, which can lead to shorter bathroom breaks. Women are almost twice as likely to experience colonic issues due to longer, slower emptying colons.

Men are typically bigger and stronger than women, but when it comes to flatulence, men are the weaker sex. Flatulence occurs when undigested food ferments, producing hydrogen sulfide. This chemical causes odors that smell like rotten eggs. Researchers measured the amount of sulfur released by men and women after eating the same diet of Pinto beans and laxatives. Men had an average sulfur concentration of 0.5, while women had an average of 1.77 milliliters. It's unclear why women have worse smelling flatulence, but some theories suggest that their longer colon or more microbes in their gut could be responsible.

Men are typically taller than women due to genetic, hormonal, and evolutionary factors. In the 1600s, the average European male was only 5'4", leading to the innovation of high heels. High heels were first worn by Persian soldiers in the 15th century to secure their feet in stirrups. Persian migrants brought the trend to Europe, where male aristocrats wore them to appear taller and more formidable. In 1673, King Louis the 14th of France introduced shoes with red heels and soles to the French court, making them a male fashion must-have for around 100 years. Women began adopting masculine fashions like short hair and hats and started wearing high heels too, making them a feminine fashion statement. Without women adopting them, high heels might have been seen as a masculine thing to wear today.

Adam's apples are a feature found in both men and women. Men's are generally larger and more noticeable due to a thicker coating of cartilage around their larger larynxes. This is why men tend to have deeper, louder voices than women. From an evolutionary standpoint, men may have used their voices to intimidate male rivals without resorting to violence. This is similar to what we see in gorillas where males will growl and pound their chests to scare off rivals. This may mean that men are smarter than the average ape.

Women experience menopause as they age, typically between 40 and 50. This causes a drop in estrogen and progestogen hormones, leading to mood swings, hot flushes, and body changes. Menopause is often joked about but can be challenging for women. However, men also experience a similar hormonal change called male menopause or irritable male syndrome. This usually begins in their 30s or 40s, with a gradual decrease in testosterone production. Lifestyle choices, like a poor diet and lack of exercise, can exacerbate symptoms such as weight gain, irritability, and mood swings. Unlike female menopause, male menopause does not affect fertility.

Let's discuss the natural bodily response of a man's meerkat rising. It's not a conscious decision, but rather an automatic response from the parasympathetic nervous system. This same system also causes reactions like goosebumps and shivers. At night, men tend to experience nocturnal penile tumescence or NPT, which is linked to the deep sleep phase known as REM. During REM sleep, norepinephrine levels drop, allowing blood flow to the meerkat and resulting in a few meerkats. It's a natural phenomenon, not triggered by racy dreams.