Photo: marcduf (Getty)
If you’re a dude chances are you’ve experienced Man Flu. You know, it’s that time you sneezed or had a bit of a head-cold and acted like the world was ending and you were terminal, all while your girlfriend still took care of you even while actually sick herself. But guess what? Science now says that Man Flu is a real thing.
According to CBC, a scientist named Dr. Kyle Sue actually completed a study asserting that the Man Flu is real. Sue published an article in British Medical Journal detailing his study. Here’s what Sue had to say:
“I’ve been criticized for exaggerating my symptoms when I had the flu. I thought. You know what? This would be an interesting topic to look into. Since about half of the world’s population is male, deeming male viral respiratory symptoms as ‘exaggerated’ without rigorous scientific evidence could have important implications for men.”
The ironic part is this dude sounds like he’s whining.
In his study of male and female mice, Sue discovered the the male mice had weaker immune systems. Sue believes this is because of men’s higher lever of testosterone. “Testosterone is a hormone that actually acts as an immunosuppressant,” he said, “whereas estrogen works in the opposite direction. They stimulate the immune system. So men with higher testosterone actually end up being more susceptible to viral respiratory and tend to get them worse.”
Sue said that men “are suffering from something we have no control over” in regards to Man Flu and “should be given the benefit of the doubt rather than being criticized for not functioning well during the flu or the common cold.” Again: women, menstruation, pregnancy.
And then Sue added this:
“Perhaps now is the time for male-friendly spaces, equipped with enormous televisions and reclining chairs, to be set up where men can recover from the debilitating effects of man flu in safety and comfort.”
Male-friendly spaces? Oh boy, this dude won’t be getting laid anytime soon. But yeah, anytime your gal calls you out for being overdramatic about your symptoms, you can just show her this study and then get back to quietly crying over your flu in bed.
