The expression “man-flu” has entered the Collins English Dictionary, according to the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme this morning. This seems a good cue to unveil my theory of man-flu, mentioned a few weeks ago.

As you may recall, the theory has received the full support of male evolutionary biologists in exchange for a round of beers. It gets a much more mixed reception from women (particularly academics), admittedly with no alcohol as an inducement, so not an accurate control.

But I think there is a serious evolutionary biological purpose to man-flu, or the exaggerated symptoms that the pair-bonded, male homo urbanis feels when infected by virus. It was designed to make him stay home from the hunt.

When I started attending the Bath University Sports Training Village for physio treatment, I noticed signs everywhere urging athletes to stay away if they had a virus. You would not see that in an office. While the purpose here is primarily competitive, elite athletes are arguably the closest we have to the hunters of our past. Viral infection is devastating to performance in lost training time and risk to health. Continue reading ‘man-flu conquers dictionary’