Endurance to pain may depend on your genes as scientists have found that genetic differences influence a person’s sensitivity to pain. People who feel pain less intensely could have a particular set of genes that work together to regulate it, claims a study published in the journal PLOS Genetics.

The study led by King’s College London adds to growing evidence that particular genes are involved in chronic pain and highlights this pathway as a potential target for more effective pain relief treatments for patients.

The study used a new method to study and compare DNA, called exome sequencing, to identify genetic variations relating to pain sensitivity.

The results of the study showed different patterns of genetic variants in each group — the pain sensitive people had less variation in their DNA than those who were pain insensitive.