Redheads feel hot and cold temperatures more severely than anyone else. In 2005, the University of Louisville discovered this hidden gift and hypothesised that the redhead gene, MC1R may cause the human temperature-detecting gene to become over-activated, making redheads more sensitive to thermal extremes.
They are typified as impulsive, quick-tempered, libidinous, and wild. The personalities of people with red hair are often believed to be imitative of their red hair, and they are seen as fiery, hot-tempered, hot-blooded, passionate, and angry.
These are recessive traits. The DNA for blonde hair and red hair are about equally strong. People who have DNA for both often have strawberry blonde hair.
Redheads have a genetic variant of the MC1R gene that causes their melanocytes to primarily produce pheomelanin. However, a study published in 2018 has lead scientists to believe that there many be a number of other genes associated with pheomelanin that controls hair colour.
Some evidence suggests redheaded adults often appear older than their actual age. For example, one study published in 2016 in Current Biology found that adults who carry two copies of the MC1R gene variant are more likely to look two years older than other people their age.
They easily detect changes in hot and cold temperatures. They may be less sensitive to electric shock, needle pricks and stinging pain on the skin.
A McGill University study found that redheads could handle more electric shocks than those with different coloured hair. Other research discovered that gingers are better at handling stabbing or sharp pain.
Less than 2 percent of the world's population has red hair, making it the rarest hair color in the world. It's the result of the mutated MC1R gene. If both parents carry that gene, their child has a 25% chance of getting lovely, red locks, even if the parents don't have red hair themselves.
According to an article by evolutionary biology professor Mark Elgar, PhD, of the University of Melbourne, blue-eyed redheads are the absolute rarest, with 0.17% of the population having that combination of hair and eye color.
Red Hair Is Indeed Fiery
As a redhead, you are seen as confident, successful and temperamental. This isn't simply just a case of “seeing red” though. Redheads have been found to hold more power: in a study conducted on 500 CEOs, it was found that 4% were redheads.
By most estimates, the European Country Ireland has a higher percentage of redheads than any other country in the world, with the latest estimates suggesting that approximately 10% of the country's population have red hair.
Previous studies had shown that redheads inherit two versions of the MC1R gene that leads to red hair – one from their mum and one from their dad. Although almost everyone with red hair has two copies of the red-haired version of MC1R, not everyone carrying two red-haired versions is a redhead.
Deviance, temper, and violence
Other stereotypes include that red-haired persons have a propensity to violence or are short-tempered, which are not directly supported by scientific evidence, though some research suggests they produce higher levels of adrenaline which accelerates the fight-or-flight response.
Humans and mice with red hair have a different tolerance for pain because their skin's pigment-producing cells lack the function of a certain receptor. Lack of this receptor function causes changes that tip the balance between pain sensitivity and pain tolerance.
Colliss Harvey's research found that redheaded individuals have higher levels of vitamin D, which is a source of strength. She asserts that this has been a contributing factor in stereotypes surrounding the foxy minority, which make up 2% of the global population.
Lifespan: up to 20 years in captivity, 5-10 years in the wild.
Fun facts about red hair strands
Redheads are less likely to go grey. The pigment in red hair typically fades over time from red to blonde and white, but not grey. Redheads produce more Vitamin D in a shorter amount of time than people with other hair colors.
Not only are they more likely to burn when the mercury rises, but they also feel the most pain when it drops. Researchers at Louisville University in Kentucky have discovered that people with ginger hair are more sensitive than most.
As with any hair color and complexion, there are some “no-no's.” Avoid pastels since these colors tend to wash out those with red hair. Also avoid most oranges, yellows, and burgundy-reds. Yellow is really a wild card color— on some it looks unbelievably good, and others it washes them out!
A study headed by Dr. Edwin Liem at the University of Louisville in Kentucky found that redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold, and are hurt by the cold at temperatures nearly 11 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than others.
Sex Researcher Professor Dr Werner Habermehl said: “The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair colour, with more partners and having sex more often than the average. The research shows that the fiery redhead certainly lives up to her reputation.”
Contrary to what many people assume, redheads did not originate in Scandinavia, Scotland or Ireland, but in central Asia. Their coloring is due to a mutation in the MC1R gene that fails to produce sun-protective, skin-darkening eumelanin and instead causes pale skin, freckles and red hair.
And, while redheads are often stereotyped as stubborn, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. As a matter of fact, that resoluteness is linked to a particular quality of your tresses; red hair doesn't go grey easily, and the strands of hair hang onto the colour for a long time, even if it becomes slightly faded.