Research found women were more empathetic than men. Source: Getty Images

After pooling data from thousands of in-depth interviews with Australians, they found women were far more likely to feel their partner’s emotional pain than men.

When a negative event befalls their partner, women tend to experience an emotional effect roughly 24 per cent as large as if the event happened to themselves, they found.

For men, however, this “spillover factor” is just seven per cent.

Women are more likely to feel whatever their partner feels. Source: Getty Images

“We looked at people who had negative shocks in their lives, such as the death of a friend, losing a job or becoming ill,” said Professor Paul Frijters of University of Queensland, who conducted the study with Dr Cindy Mervin of Griffith University.

“Men and women were almost equally affected by these things if it happened to themselves.

“It’s not that men are cold, emotionless fish, but we found they were much less affected by what happened to their partner.”

Women are far more likely to feel their partner’s emotional pain than men. Source: Getty Images

While the research points to a major gender difference surrounding empathy, Prof Frijters said he can’t give a definitive answer as to why this would be the case.

“It is possible that men are probably more affected by their own roles and image as partners, than by the actual feelings of their partner.

“But it’s not clear whether this is due to nature or nurture, we don’t know.

“I can speculate, but really we’re not going to know the answer any time soon.”