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10 Big Differences Between
Men's and Women's Brains

By Amber
Hensley

Here is another article on the differences
that research has found between men and
women. This one is about brain
research.
Jim
_________________________________________________

10 Big Differences Between Men's
and Women's Brains
By Amber
Hensley
Jun 16th,
2009

The differences between women and men
are not only well-documented, but frequently at
the heart of jokes, anecdotes, and good-natured
(and not so good-natured) ribbing.

Experts have discovered that
there are actually differences in the way women's
and men's brains are structured and in the way
they react to events and stimuli.

So the next time your wife,
boyfriend, or parent starts telling you how you
should have done something differently, then refer
back to these big differences between men's and
women's brains.

1. Human
relationships. Women tend to communicate
more effectively than men, focusing on how to
create a solution that works for the group,
talking through issues, and utilizing non-verbal
cues such as tone, emotion, and empathy; whereas
men tend to be more task-oriented, less talkative,
and more isolated. Men have a more difficult time
understanding emotions that are not explicitly
verbalized, while women tend to intuit emotions
and emotional cues. These differences explain why
men and women sometimes have difficulty
communicating and why men-to-men friendships look
different from friendships among
women.

2. Left brain vs.
both hemispheres. Men tend to process
better in the left hemisphere of the brain while
women tend to process equally well between the two
hemispheres. This difference explains why men are
generally stronger with left-brain activities and
approach problem-solving from a task-oriented
perspective while women typically solve problems
more creatively and are more aware of feelings
while communicating.

3. Mathematical
abilities. An area of the brain called
the inferior-parietal lobule (IPL) is typically
significantly larger in men, especially on the
left side, than in women. This section of the
brain is thought to control mental mathematical
ability, and probably explains why men frequently
perform higher in mathematical tasks than do
women. Interestingly, this is the same area of
Einstein's brain that was discovered to be
abnormally large. The IPL also processes sensory
information, and the larger right side in women
allows them to focus on, "specific stimuli, such
as a baby crying in the night."

4. Reaction to
stress. Men tend to have a "fight or
flight" response to stress situations while women
seem to approach these situations with a "tend and
befriend" strategy. Psychologist Shelley E. Taylor
coined the phrase "tend and befriend" after
recognizing that during times of stress women take
care of themselves and their children (tending)
and form strong group bonds (befriending). The
reason for these different reactions to stress is
rooted in hormones. The hormone oxytocin is
released during stress in everyone. However,
estrogen tends to enhance oxytocin resulting in
calming and nurturing feelings whereas
testosterone, which men produce in high levels
during stress, reduces the effects of
oxytocin.

5.
Language. Two sections of the brain
responsible for language were found to be larger
in women than in men, indicating one reason that
women typically excel in language-based subjects
and in language-associated thinking. Additionally,
men typically only process language in their
dominant hemisphere, whereas women process
language in both hemispheres. This difference
offers a bit of protection in case of a stroke.
Women may be able to recover more fully from a
stroke affecting the language areas in the brain
while men may not have this same
advantage.

6.
Emotions. Women typically have a larger
deep limbic system than men, which allows them to
be more in touch with their feelings and better
able to express them, which promotes bonding with
others. Because of this ability to connect, more
women serve as caregivers for children. The down
side to this larger deep limbic system is that it
also opens women up to depression, especially
during times of hormonal shifts such as after
childbirth or during a woman's menstrual
cycle.

7. Brain
size. Typically, men's brains are 11-12%
bigger than women's brains. This size difference
has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence,
but is explained by the difference in physical
size between men and women. Men need more neurons
to control their greater muscle mass and larger
body size, thus generally have a larger
brain.

8. Pain.
Men and women perceive pain differently. In
studies, women require more morphine than men to
reach the same level of pain reduction. Women are
also more likely to vocalize their pain and to
seek treatment for their pain than are men. The
area of the brain that is activated during pain is
the amygdala, and researchers have discovered that
in men, the right amygdala is activated and in
women, the left amygdala is activated. The right
amygdala has more connections with areas of the
brain that control external functions while the
right amygdala has more connections with internal
functions. This difference probably explains why
women perceive pain more intensely than do
men.

9. Spatial
ability. Men typically have stronger
spatial abilities, or being able to mentally
represent a shape and its dynamics, whereas women
typically struggle in this area. Medical experts
have discovered that women have a thicker parietal
region of the brain, which hinders the ability to
mentally rotate objects-an aspect of spatial
ability. Research has shown this ability in babies
as young as 5 months old, negating any ideas that
these abilities were strengthened by environmental
influences.

10.
Susceptibility to disorders. Because of
the way men and women use the two hemispheres of
the brain differently, there are some disorders
that men and women are susceptible to in different
ways. Men are more apt to have dyslexia or other
language problems. If women have dyslexia, they
are more likely to compensate for it. Women, on
the other hand, are more susceptible to mood
disorders such as depression and anxiety. While
handedness is not a disorder, these brain
tendencies also explain why more men are
left-handed than are women. Men are also more
likely to be diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and
Tourette's
Syndrome.
________________________________________________

God bless your marriage and
family.

Jim
Stephens

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