There are plenty of “facts” that supposedly separate men and women – but how many actually hold up? In this fact file we’ve gathered the genuine stats and study findings, checked them against the science, and thrown out the myths that usually sneak onto lists like this. Where a popular claim turns out to be shaky or plain wrong, we say so.
We’re focusing mainly on British men, so if you’re in the UK and curious how you line up with your fellow blokes up and down the country, you’re in the right spot.
Did you know men are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD? Or that the classic “women have a higher pain threshold” line is actually backwards? Time to take a closer look at some fun facts about men…
For clarity, “men” and “women” in this article generally refer to sex assigned at birth, since that’s how the underlying studies are measured.
1. Men have larger voice boxes.
For all the jokes about who talks more, men carry visible evidence of their capacity for sound: the “Adam’s apple.” Their voice boxes are proportionally larger than women’s, so the surrounding cartilage protrudes more and gives them deeper voices.
Research even suggests a deeper voice can make a man come across as more confident, and more likely to be picked out as a leader. We can’t all be Frank Bruno, though – some of us sound more like Joe Pasquale.
2. “Adam’s apple” comes from an old folk tale.
The nickname for the larynx is usually traced to the Old Testament story of Adam, Eve and the forbidden fruit – the idea being that a piece of the apple stuck in Adam’s throat. It’s folklore rather than fact, but the name stuck.
And women have Adam’s apples too – theirs are just far less pronounced.
3. Men and women burn fuel differently during exercise.
During exercise, men tend to burn proportionally more carbohydrate, while women burn relatively more fat. It’s thought to be linked to differences in hormones and body composition, with women generally carrying a higher body-fat percentage than men.
4. Men and women differ in “finger ratio.”
This one is about proportion, not length. In men, the ring finger is more often longer than the index finger; in women, the two are more often closer to equal. Scientists call it the 2D:4D digit ratio, and it’s linked to testosterone exposure before birth – though you shouldn’t read too much into your own hands.
5. Male skin really is thicker.
We call people “thick-skinned,” but for men it’s literally true – male skin is on average around 25% thicker than female skin, with more collagen and more oil, and it tends to age a little more slowly.
British blokes have clearly noticed, too: the UK men’s grooming market is now worth hundreds of millions of pounds a year and growing fast.
6. Men’s senses tend to be a little less sharp.
On average, women edge men on certain senses – studies point to women having more taste buds and a keener sense of smell, thanks in part to more sensory cells.
There’s also evidence that people with smaller fingertips have finer touch discrimination – which, on average, tips the balance toward women there as well.
7. Human penis size, in context.
Don’t blush. Among primates, humans are actually well-endowed relative to body size – gorillas, despite their bulk, are famously modest in this department. Compared with our closest relatives the differences are smaller and the picture is mixed.
As for the numbers, the largest study of its kind (King’s College London, 2015, covering more than 15,000 men) put the global average erect length at about 13.1 cm, or just over five inches. That’s a worldwide average rather than a specifically British one.
8. The “male” symbol has a warlike origin.
The symbol for “man” – a circle with an arrow pointing up and to the right – is the astrological sign for Mars, the Roman god of war. It’s been used to denote the male sex since the 18th century, and today also appears in various forms across the LGBTQ+ community.
9. Men and women often disagree about the thermostat.
It’s a running joke that men reach for the radiator dial sooner than women – and there’s some science behind the office “thermostat wars.” Research suggests women, on average, feel comfortable at slightly warmer temperatures than men, partly down to differences in muscle mass and metabolism. That said, the findings are mixed, so treat it as a tendency rather than a rule.
Either way, plenty of British blokes would still rather pull on a jumper indoors than turn the heating up – all in the name of “feeling the benefit.”
10. You’re more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD if you’re born male.
Diagnoses of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) are far more common in males, with a male-to-female ratio of roughly 3:1 in the UK.
Importantly, that gap is partly about diagnosis, not just biology. Girls and women more often show the “inattentive” type of ADHD – daydreaming and quiet distraction rather than obvious disruptiveness – so they’re more easily overlooked. There’s growing recognition that many women have gone undiagnosed for years as a result.
11. Most adult men in the UK are fathers.
The majority of men in the UK go on to have children, though a sizeable minority – roughly a third – don’t. Family shapes vary widely: many fathers live with their children and a partner, some live apart from their children, and a small share are lone fathers raising children on their own. These patterns keep shifting as society changes.
12. Men tend to have larger brains – but that doesn’t mean sharper minds.
Men do, on average, have physically larger brains, largely in proportion to their greater body size and muscle mass. But brain size is a poor guide to intelligence.
Despite what some older lists claim, there is no reliable evidence that one sex is more intelligent than the other overall. Studies find men and women score about the same on general intelligence; the differences show up in specific abilities and in the spread of scores, not in the average.
13. Men carry more muscle and less fat.
On average, men carry considerably more muscle mass than women and a lower proportion of body fat.
Of course, that doesn’t stop women building serious strength – women’s strength sports have boomed in recent years. (And contrary to a popular myth, research generally finds women report pain more readily than men, not less – so the idea that women simply “tolerate pain better” doesn’t quite hold up.)
14. The “men can’t multitask” idea is shakier than you think.
You’ve probably heard that women use both sides of their brain while men use just one, making women natural multitaskers. That neat story is largely a neuromyth. Some studies do find a small female advantage on certain multitasking tasks, but others find no meaningful difference at all – and the “one hemisphere versus two” claim doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. File this one under “not settled.”
15. Testosterone helps explain male aggression – up to a point.
Men have far more testosterone than women, which is part of why males, on average, tend to score higher on measures of physical aggression and competitiveness. Brain differences may play a role too, though the specifics remain debated.
Aggression has a darker side, of course. Research on university campuses has found that a worrying share of male students admit to some form of sexual aggression – a reminder that these aren’t just quirky stats.
16. Male nurses are a minority – but not a new phenomenon.
Only around 11% of nurses on the UK register are men, so nursing remains a female-dominated profession.
But men are far from newcomers to it: they’ve supported hospitals and battlefield care going back to the 19th century, and joined the modern UK nursing register in the decades that followed. The imbalance is about culture and history, not ability.
17. Men are more likely to be colour blind.
Colour blindness is far more common in men: roughly 1 in 12 men (about 8%) are affected, compared with around 1 in 200 women. That’s because the most common types are carried on the X chromosome, of which men have only one.
On the flip side, some research suggests men have a slight edge at detecting fast movement. Swings and roundabouts.
18. Are men “funnier” than women? One study says slightly.
A 2019 analysis led by researchers at Aberystwyth University and the University of North Carolina, pooling data on thousands of people, found men scored a little higher on “humour production ability” on average.
It’s a contested finding, and comedy fans will happily argue back – for every Billy Connolly, Morecambe and Wise or Rowan Atkinson, there’s a Victoria Wood, French and Saunders or Kathy Burke.
19. Men tend to have longer tongues.
Research suggests men usually have slightly longer tongues than women on average. The record holder, at the time of writing, is Nick Stoeberl, recognised by Guinness World Records – his tongue measures an incredible 3.97 inches (10.1 cm) from tip to closed lip.
20. A memorable greeting in parts of East Africa.
Visitors to Kenya or Tanzania may be caught off guard by a Maasai welcome. As a mark of respect and friendship, Maasai men traditionally spit as a greeting – and warriors may spit into their palms before shaking hands with elders. It’s a blessing, not an insult.
21. One unusual hobby skews male.
“Funambulism” – better known as tightrope walking – has historically attracted more men than women; four of the six most famous funambulists are male.
Most British men, mercifully, keep both feet on the ground: surveys put cooking, reading and gaming among the most popular male hobbies. Encouragingly, the vast majority of UK adults say they enjoy a hobby at least once a week.
22. The word “boy” has humble origins.
“Boy” has been used for a male child since around the 12th century, and while its exact roots are debated, one theory links it to a word meaning “servant.”
Curiously, in Old English the word “man” originally meant a person of any age or sex – separate words were used for males and females – and only later narrowed to mean specifically an adult male.
23. British boys tend to lag behind girls at school.
Data from English schools consistently shows boys being outperformed by girls across many measures, and boys are markedly more likely to be suspended or excluded. Why boys are falling behind – and what to do about it – is now an active area of research and debate.
24. Where does “Dad” come from?
“Dad” has meant father since roughly the 16th century, and is often linked to the Welsh “tad,” meaning father. “Father” itself traces back through Old English “fæder.” Across other languages, the Latin “pater” is the common ancestor – feeding into the French “père,” for example.
25. British men are more likely to be overweight than women.
Like much of the Western world, the UK is grappling with high obesity rates. According to the latest Health Survey for England, around 70% of men are overweight or living with obesity, compared with about 62% of women.
Among men, the highest rates are typically in the 55–64 age group, whereas the pattern across age is a little flatter for women.
26. Men may spend more on their wardrobe than you’d expect.
It’s often assumed women outspend men on clothing, but some retail surveys suggest the gap is smaller than the stereotype – and in certain categories men actually spend a little more per month. Spending habits shift with the economy, so take any single figure with a pinch of salt, but it’s food for thought.
27. The UK still has a gender pay gap.
Not a “fun” fact, but an important one. Men are still paid more than women on average in the UK. The latest ONS figures (April 2025) put the median gender pay gap at 12.8% across all employees, and 6.9% among full-time employees.
The gap has been shrinking slowly – it’s fallen by more than a quarter for full-time workers over the past decade – but it remains a live issue in debates about workplace fairness.
FAQs About Men
How do biological men's reproductive organs differ from women's?
Men and women have different reproductive anatomy. For example, men have a prostate gland and testes, which women do not, while women have a uterus and ovaries. These differences are why some health conditions, such as prostate issues, affect men specifically.
Can biological men give birth?
A person born biologically male cannot become pregnant or give birth. Where the media has reported on 'pregnant men', these have generally been transgender men – people who were born female and retain a uterus while transitioning.
Do biological men have periods?
No. Men do not menstruate, as they don't have a uterus. The popular idea of a 'male period' or hormonal cycle is not established science – testosterone does fluctuate, but there's no scientific consensus that men experience a monthly cycle comparable to menstruation.
Further reading
Prostate Cancer UK
Royal College of Nursing – the first men on the nursing register
Do you know any fun facts about men? Share them in the comments below!
