Female Vs Male Brain: Is There A Difference?
Are there differences between the male and female brains? Yes! Science explains.
Men and women evolved different brains over millions of years, because of necessity. Men chased down food for their families and provided protection. Women cared for the young and old, and provided a nurturing environment. Because of these different roles, the sexes evolved to process information differently, think in radically different ways, expect different things, and have different perceptions, beliefs and behaviors. In the last forty years, as the gender roles in our society have been blurred, both males and females have become more and more confused as to what is normal behavior. We expect our partners to be able to read our minds and think as we think. Unfortunately, we are just not wired that way.
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Reprinted from the book Sex on the Brain by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Copyright © 2007 by Daniel G. Amen, M.D. Published by Harmony Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
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Discussion
I may be going against the grain of the conversation just a little. I think that the push for what most people call 'gender equality' is really an attempt by a vocal minority to get the rest of us to ignore gender differences altogether! What better way to make the case than to make science agree that gender roles are 'obsolete' or 'antiquated' as some call it? Sure, the blurring of tradional roles within families only makes sense in many situations- especially considering certain modern and cultural changes. Even when I was growing up, it was due to necessity out of my mother's debilitating and terminal illness. So, yeah, I get that. But to suggest that gender roles should disappear completely (in my mind at least) is well...absurd! Why? Because it would only make sense (at least to me) when men gain the natural ability to become mothers and women gain the natrual ability to become fathers! Even then it would still be a bit of a paradox unless we ALL had that ability. Which is to say there would be no male and female, no differences in reproductive abilities or other physical/mental strengths/weaknesses.
I understand that men and women think differently...and science proves that. However, what does science say about those men that can remember important dates and women who can't? I think even though men aren't thinking all the time, they make time for what they want...along with they remember what they want to remember. If a man won $1,000,000 but was not able to claim the money for 72 days later, he would remember to get that money on that date. I think men try to make excuses for why they are not able to remember certain things. And since most scientists are men, they have a strong influence on those excuses. Any kind of data can be skewed to fit almost anything. Men just need to be a little more thoughtful about the woman they are with. If a man knows he has problems remembering something, then he should put it on his calendar or something like that. That's part of thinking about his woman...making sure he can make up for his lack of connections to his right hemisphere.
Well said but I would like to add that science doesn't "prove" anything. The research is all theories and that is how science, as an entity and community, covers itself.
I would say that it is flimsy to base one's life on a handful of "research" when MOST of the differences are cultural and social. For example: Men are "allowed" to be "forgetful" because so many people have had to live in a male dominated society that people come to EXPECT the behaviour and then some men use these so-called "facts" as an excuse for laziness. Women can be just as forgetful but women aren't given that space or breathing room from others, generally speaking.
There's alway the self-fulfilling prophecy to speak about. I touched on it but there are hundreds of examples.
There are more differences between the brains of a male professional chess-player and a male factory-worker than there is between a male and a female both professional chess-players.
The great majority of humans were all born with the same brain that is basically a blank-page. We all produce an astronomic numbers of neurons in our 3 first years, and then develop the connections between those neurons, the synapses, according to what we learn and do.
Actually as we grow up, we usually keep only about 1/3 of the neurons we produced, those unused being eliminated.
All of this strongly suggests that a great deal of the brain differences are acquired. It's also suggested that the hormonal activity impacts on the brain development.
My point is that a statement such as "Men and women evolved different brains over millions of years, because of necessity." is misleading to say the least.
Oh hell yeah, there are a lot of differences between a male and female mind, which we as opposite sexes struggle with in coming to the terms of meeting half way or even understanding each other as we tend to look at one another saying: "What planet are you coming from?"
YES MEN AND WOMEN THINK DIFFERENT. A WOMAN ACTUALLY THINKS WITH HER BRAIN.
A MAN THINKS WITH HIS PENIS!
Not only are there differences, they're obvious. You can see them in autopsies and MRI scans.
The differences are far more distinct than we ever dreamed even 15 years ago, before we had good fMRI imaging techniques.
Yet most of what we call "gendered behaviour" is a social construct, and differs between societies and times. Those behaviours that are differentiated by gender, and common to all societies from Portugal to Patagonia, from New York to New Guinea, those have a biological basis.
It's not quite correct to say this is genetic - but the brain is at least as sexually dimoporphic as the genitalia - and the differences there are not quite wholly genetic either, things can go awry in foetal development, leaving someone with an Intersex condition.
The same kind of thing happens to transsexuals - mostly female body, mostly male brain, or the reverse, though that's an over-simplification. But again, this is not a matter of opinion, it's a matter of demonstrable fact. See the recent seminar on the subject at the APA annual conference, "The Neurobiological Evidence for Transgenderism".
A lot of our knowledge in this area comes from cases of people with rare Intersex conditions that cause a natural sex-change (5ARD and 17BHDD syndromes, usually). People like us tend not to shun publicity though, as there's significant transphobia in society.
Its a given that men and women think differently, for the most part, but the real question trying to be answered here is why? Science is trying to say its genetic. Religion would probably say its ordained. Social sciences and psychologies say its influenced by the society, culture, family, and friends. I don't think this can ever be pinned down to just one thing, one branch of thought. Our development is not only influenced by our gender (biological) but our interactions in society as well. I can find stats that certain aspects of the male brain thought to contribute to the "male" way of life, those parts that can be identified as uniquely male, are getting smaller generationally. It throws the notion that we are fundamentally different at a biological level out of whack. To say we are genetically different would just take out all accountability to the roles that men and women have played throughout time that have caused the evolution of "different" brains. The brains aren't different. The difference is what influenced the growth of those brains.
This article really supports Lamarck's theories. It's society that has influenced how genders should think. For example, when I was young and did things that were considered "boyish" I was told, "girls don't behave this way" and was repremanded. I believe that if I wasn't told these things then I would have thought differently. Behaviour during life does not get passed down genetically or influence genetics, this is the first thing you learn in biological evolution.
well i wouldn't say that there is a difference in their brains, it's just that they think differently. why? because women are more emotional than man. i believe some time the opposite sex do think like each other example, have you ever seen a female done some thing wrong to a guy and u said to your self "if i was a man what i would do to her". yeah thats what i'm talking about and if you haven't experience it then one day you might.
yeah i'm right, they do think differently because 2 out of 10 women would look at a man's body and say i would love to have sex with him right now,while on the other hand 9 out of 10 guys would look an a woman's body and say i would love to have sex with her any where, any time. Well man do show emotions towards women is just that they are not that expressive with their feelings.
Thats the crux...we as individuals can do everything in our power to make changes that we deem beneficial, especially towards gender equality, but we can't control the influence that society has on us and our young. You are correct, 40 years ago there weren't the opportunites that even my generation takes for granted, and I'm a late 70's kid.
I really need to try and look up the author of this book (and it would help if I could remember the title), but long story short (non-fiction) he and his wife have 2 sons. The older one was in 3rd grade and the younger one was maybe going to start kindergarten. The youngest son loved to dress up, and one of his most favorite outfits was a ballerina outfit. Mom and Dad supported it (it wasn't like the kid was gay or anything, not that that would be an issue either, he was just a kid being a kid and having fun), and the older brother also supported it...in the house. One day older brother brought some friends over to the house for the first time ever. Younger brother, wanting to join in the festivities and play, quickly ran upstairs to don his favorite costume. When he ran into the room with his older brother and his friends its like the younger brother might as well have ran head first at high speed into a solid steel wall...and not a word was ever said. The friends looked at the younger brother like he was a freak, and the older brother, just a child in that awkward position of not knowing what to do and not being strong enough yet to stand on his own, merely commented, half-heartedly, "Thats...errr...nice, Donnie." Poor Donnie ran back up, immediately changed, and never wore the ballerina costume again. No one said one word to him about it being wrong, or just not done, or just not acceptable, because words don't always need to be said.
I imagine you've come across similar situations with your kids, where you've tried to teach them one thing, but society (which can mean fellow students at school, mass media, etc) still gives some fairly defined roles. Its getting better, that is for certain. My heart goes out to you for trying to do what you believe is right and dealing with how you can also teach them to be able to "move" around well outside of your care. I kinda worry about how I'll deal with that myself when I finally have little ones.
On the flip side, and part of what is making this difficult, there are still parents that are pushing the gender roles on their children, and, yes there are definitely advice books that still tout that women should be women and men should be men with clearly definable roles. Still you've got a better over-all view of how this fight is going. I just get my panties all up in a bunch when I see some new study about the physical differences and how everyone flocks to it like some panacea for why things are the way they are...call it "the miracle pill that does everything you want it to", instead of actually doing the work to achieve what we want. Then again, maybe a better term is something like "Societal Plastic Surgery," the appearence without any substance.
Biologic and genetic research and study have indeed come a long ways and continue to help with shining new light on age old questions, but we shouldn't blindly accept these new findings as ultimate answers. For one, these are just physical facts that don't really establish actual limitations. An example would be not everyone can move in the same way. We all don't have the exact same physical structure, therefore its not possible for everyone to be capable of doing what others can, like gymnasts or dancers. Trying to relegate gender difference issues to cold logic negates the emotional and socilogical aspects. Progress in equality between genders has come a long way, but the antiquated gender roles are still largely in effect. Boys are still being raised much the same way they were 50 years ago, and a lot of girls are as well.
Ultimately, as humans, our ability to consciously think for ourselves and not give in to instinct is what sets us apart from everything else on the food chain. This doesn't mean that we all exercise that right, and there are still a great many of us that see no reason to change the gender roles, and that thinking is on both sides of the fence. On top of all that, this is also still largely western ideals, not exactly a way of thinking or living embraced globally. So the real question is, why are we not taking responsibility for the gifts that we are born with, such as making decisions for ourselves about the type of person we want to be? Men can learn (and are doing so)to be as effective at communicating as women. Women can learn (and are doing so) to be as ambitious and goal oriented as men. Truth of the matter is that its already happening. A lot of men are better at communicating and being nurturing then quite a few women, and quite a few women are already more ambitious, goal oriented, and can tune a care better than quite a few men. All in all, I'd say we're on the right track, but we are also a very "now" oriented society. Shifts in personal behaviors and beliefs take time. It will take even longer on a large social scale.
I agree with most of what you say, but in my experience boys and girls are being raised very differently from the way I was raised 40 years ago. Girl characters in books and movies were very different. Kids took home ec and shop in middle school - and not together. Careers for girls were rarely talked about. Nobody gave boys dolls or girls cars. Boys were pushed to be tough, girls were pushed to be "good." You could still find advice books telling girls to act dumb on dates. We have come a long way, even if we're not done yet.
And I would have to add that in my experience as a parent, you can raise your kids without stereotyping them or pushing them, and they will go for gender stereotypes. Some of it is probably biological with boys more likely to respond to something about non-fiction and all kinds of odd differences. Some of it is more complicated - kids want to figure out how boys and girls are supposed to behave and follow the rules. So even when grown-ups are trying to bring them up free and equal, kids are looking around and trying to behave the "proper" way and pushing their friends to do so, too.
I think they're going too far on this. For a while everyone denied sex difference, but we aren't different species either. Women pass their genes on to their sons. Except for one little chromosome, we have the same genes.
It's fine to talk about what evolution says we should be like, but when scientists measure actual traits, they usually find that men and women are on the same scale and overlap a great deal. Think about height - on average men are taller than women, but there are women taller than most men and men shorter than most women.
Nobody reads their partner's mind or thinks as they think. That's because we're separate people, not because we're men and women.
