[sp332]

That's because distraction is a more effective pain reducer for men than for women. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17951004

[dkarl]

Causation could go either way. Comfort may work best when it comes in a familiar form.

[kowen]

Interesting! I wonder if people know this instinctively, or we just sort of pattern match in the background and pick up on it.