'Man flu' really does exist

London, June 20 (ANI): Ladies who complain that their men are notorious moaners when they are sick have been proven right, as a new study has claimed that "Man flu" may indeed exist.

In the study of 3,000 people, one in two men admits he exaggerates how ill he feels to get sympathy from his partner.

Apart from whimpering to get round-the-clock cuddles, men will also give themselves a more serious diagnosis - calling a common cold 'flu' and a headache 'a migraine'.

However, women aren't totally innocent either-they are most likely to whine about minor ailments on a daily basis. n fact, according to their partners, 45 per cent of women have a low pain threshold.

Women claim to get seven bouts of illness a year compared with just five for men.

Despite 34 per cent of men's partners rarely believing they are sick, 62 per cent can still be relied upon to serve up some sympathy.

Two-thirds of women regularly go to the chemist whenever their man is ill, 46 per cent run him a bath and 27 per cent give him breakfast in bed.

"Our findings support the belief that men do moan more and when they are ill they will put on all sorts of attention-seeking behaviour to make sure their partner knows about it," the Daily Express quoted Karl Elliott of Engage Mutual Assurance, who commissioned the survey, as saying.

However, when it comes to taking time off work, though, men are the real martyrs, with 76 per cent bravely struggling on and lugging themselves into work no matter how bad they feel.

However, both genders found a common ground on one thing - they didn't like seeing each other really suffering.

"When it comes to doing the little things that make a partner more comfortable when they are ill, men and women seem to be more evenly matched," said Elliott. (ANI)