New scientific research has found subtle
differences between the brains of males and
females. The studies, which include both physical
imaging and psychological studies, are leading to
greater understanding of the differences between
the sexes. While it's not completely clear how the
structural differences in male and female brains
affect their function, scientists theorize that
the most likely effect is the way men and women
process information.
Have you ever wondered why you and your
partner can walk away from a conversation with
completely different understandings of what was
discussed?? Now there's proof that neither one of
you is crazy - you're just different!
One difference between men and women's brains
is size. Men's brains on average are 10% bigger
than women's and have 4% more cells. But before
all you men claim superiority for having a bigger
brain, you'll need to know that women's brains
contain more nerve cells and cellular connections,
which allows their smaller, more compact brains to
be more efficient and effective.
Men's brains tend to perform tasks
predominantly with the left-side, which is the
logical/rational side of the brain. Women, on the
other hand, use both sides of their brains because
a woman's brain has a larger corpus callosum,
which means women can transfer data between the
right and left hemispheres faster than men. While
this does not mean that women are more likely to
be in their "right mind," it does illuminate why
Martians tend to approach communication more often
with a task-oriented "let's fix the problem" state
of mind, while Venusians tend to be more creative
and aware of feelings in their communication
style.
Men performed better on tests requiring
mental rotation, which is thought to indicate an
innate sense of direction. Women, though, can rely
on their stronger memory skills to help them find
and remember landmarks. Not to mention that women
do not consider it a diminishment of their
femininity to stop at a gas station and ask for
directions when lost! Women's memory skills can be
a double-edged sword, as they are more inclined to
remember everything a man does-especially when it
comes to irritating or hurtful behavior. So the
next time you marvel at your partner's ability to
remind you, again, of something problematic you
did months ago, know she's not picking on you;
it's just still on her mind!
The other structural difference in men and
women's brains is the limbic size, which controls
bonding and nesting instincts. Females, on
average, have larger deep limbic systems than
males. This is why women tend to be more in touch
with their feelings and are able to express them
better than men. The larger deep limbic system
also increases a woman's ability to connect and
bond with others. The downside of this is that
women are more susceptible to depression, not only
because of the larger limbic system, but also
because they produce less serotonin than men.
Although this could be a factor in the statistic
that women attempt suicide three times more than
men, men are three times more likely to be
successful at such an attempt. One reason is that
men tend to choose more violent and lethal
methods, but another reason is that their smaller
deep limbic system contributes to the fact that
men are generally less connected to others
compared to women.
Regular readers of MarsVenus.com already know
how different men and women's styles of
communication and emotional expression are-after
all, it's as if men are from Mars and women are
from Venus! It is interesting to learn, though,
that scientific research now provides insight into
the physiological differences which contribute to
these different styles. There are many
ramifications to these new findings from a better
understanding of differences to gender specific
medical diagnosis and treatment.
At the very least, we can gain a better
appreciation for the unique strengths and
qualities these subtle brain differences cause.
The more men and women understand about our
differences, the easier it is to understand each
other!
