Achoo! He’s Got Man-flu

Man-flu is real.

When he lies on the couch with a gentle sniffle and complains that he can’t possibly help clean out the garage he’s telling the truth.

He might have a reason for saying it could kill him.

According to research from Cambridge, a man’s inability to cope with being sick has an evolutionary advantage.

Evolution by natural selection seems to consist largely of trade-offs between different features until an optimal outcome is reached for a given species in a given environment.

The level of this trade off varies strongly between species. With gorillas, for example, a single male controls a troop of 5-30 other gorillas and does most of the mating. Male gorillas are subsequently on average double the size of females, and need this extra muscle to fend of rivals who would take over their family and kill their offspring.

We humans have a much better deal in some ways. We are much more monogamous than gorillas  and men are therefore on average only about 25% larger than women. Growing this extra muscle is not free and, as the research at Cambridge suggests, means that resources that could be used on building a strong immune system are diverted into making muscles.

There could be an actual evolutionary advantage to man flu. Throughout our evolutionary history  males have always been in more physical danger than females. Males will kill each other over social status, food and mates but will rarely kill females. Males also go on hunting trips where they risk death or injury. Maybe, since the males of our species have evolved in such dangerous conditions, it has been very important for them in the past to avoid conflict and danger when they are not on top of their game.

If every time a man is sick he is incapacitated and unable to go hunting (or work that 8 hour day at the office), he will live. This is much better than the alternative of being just a little bit sick, still going out hunting, and being gored by an angry gazelle.

Maybe man flu is an evolutionary strategy to keep men out of danger by causing them to get so ill they must stay home and rest every time. Sure there are no angry gazelles at the office, but the reason he can’t cope with the common cold isn’t his fault. It’s evolution.

However there is no scientific explanation for his inability to pick up his socks.

You might also want to read:

Men May Have Man-flu, But Women Are The Biggest Whiners