Men are floppier than women.
So say researchers who have been simulating the effects on peoples necks of a minor fender bender. Their finding that the sexes seem to respond very differently to the jolt of a minor collision has whiplash pundits foxed 1 . Nicolas Vibert working in the department of psychology at the University of Sydney in Australia, found that about two-thirds of 24 blindfolded subjects stiffened when exposed to mild unexpected jolts from behind or from the side. They kept their heads pretty much in line with their bodies. The remainder moved as though made of jelly, sometimes throwing their heads around by as much as 30 degrees even though the knock was similar to being in a car that is hit by another at just two kilometres per hour.