The MC1R gene is linked to the production of beta-endorphins, which help reduce pain perception, indicating that redheads produce more of these natural pain-relieving substances.

Factors such as expectation, anxiety, sleep quality, circadian rhythms, and genetics all influence our pain thresholds and experiences of pleasure. To reduce pain, it's beneficial to know about a painful stimulus 20 to 40 seconds in advance, as this highlights the importance of subjective interpretation in pain perception.

Pain threshold varies among individuals and consists of two dimensions: the intensity of stimulation required to elicit a pain response and the duration of pain experienced.

Brown fat, located between the shoulder blades and on the back of the neck, is rich in mitochondria and can convert food energy into heat, making it thermogenic.

Dopamine plays a crucial role in modulating pain by activating brain stem neurons that communicate with immune cells, enhancing our resilience against pain and infection.

Pain and pleasure are sensations that reflect opposite ends of a continuum, involving detection through our skin and interpretation by our brain.

Experiments show that people can experience the same cold stimulus very differently, with pain ratings ranging from 1 to 10, indicating that there is no objective measure of pain.

There's a genetic mutation linked to the desire to explore, specifically the DRD4 dopamine receptor, which makes some people more sensitive to novelty.

Women often have a hormonal response after childbirth that helps them cope with the pain, allowing them to remember the experience more positively later.