Male and female brains: differences. Female brain, male brain Features of brain function in men and women


Psychologist Adriana Imzh proposes to solve the gender issue from a scientific point of view

There are many different fantasies and myths on this topic. Very often, women are attributed to frivolity, irresponsibility and emotionality, although in fact, research shows that women cope well with difficult and serious problems - even leading combat squadrons, and men are no less emotional, they are just taught to express only certain emotions, and the rest - somatize. Men are credited with being responsible, rational, and focused, when in fact men, for example, are much more likely to miss project deadlines, generally absent themselves more and quit more often, make logical errors with the same frequency, and are quite often absent-minded - more often distracted than women.

However, modern studies of MRI images are revealing true structural differences. We'll talk about them today. So, scientists identify the following types in the differences between the male and female brains: the ratio of white and gray matter, physiology, blood supply and innervation.

From a scientific point of view

White to gray matter ratiodiffers between men and women: men have slightly more gray, and women have slightly more white. Gray matter is localized, grouped and responsible for analysis, it is a kind of processor. White matter is the connection, it is responsible for the communication of neurons with each other. Men have more processing areas, women have more connecting areas.

Too many different tasks for women also leads to burnout and procrastination, just like for men, and many men are unable to concentrate on one thing for a long time and need breaks.

That is, this relationship is from the category of “rather” and “to some extent”, and not “women are designed for a large number of tasks, and men have perfect focus.”

Physiology

The bodies of men and women contain the same substances, but in different quantities - primarily we are talking about serotonin, testosterone, oxytocin and estrogen.

Women have more serotonin, oxytocin and estrogen - it is due to this that they have greater perseverance, sensitivity, emotional competence and the ability to create stronger human relationships. Female friendship is in vain ridiculed: statistically, it is women who have the longest, most trusting and warm contacts with women - in contrast to intergender contacts or “strong male friendships.”

Testosterone and lower levels of other hormones are associated with less perseverance and more aggressiveness in men, as well as decreased empathy when absorbed in tasks. This leads to men having a harder time coping with stress, being more likely to suffer from depression and being more likely to commit suicide. Paradoxically, this also means that men are encouraged to cry more to reduce the level of cortisol in the blood, a stress hormone that, when accumulated in the body, weakens the immune system, breaks down muscles and causes depression.

Structural differences

Women have a larger hippocampus, as well as more areas responsible for language; in men they tend to be mainly concentrated in one hemisphere, and in women - in both. Due to this, women have better access to information received from different senses, can more easily describe their experiences and emotions, and also remember more sounds, smells, sensations and visual details.

Blood supply and innervation

With a more efficient blood supply, women's brains tend to be less drained and better able to process memories, experiences, and emotions. Men get tired of this process faster and prefer to move on to active actions. This is why their actions tend to be less thoughtful, especially in areas related to relationships with other people: men are less able to predict the impact of their words and actions and the consequences in the form of changes in other people's attitudes. Women have higher social competence.

To summarize: women cope better with stress, make more informed decisions regarding other people, switch from task to task more easily, analyze and use past experiences better, and build relationships with other people better.

Men are more impulsive, less able to handle stress, less empathetic, and less understanding of other people's actions. At the same time, they focus better and move to action faster.

In general, according to research by Gregory Janz, men and women have more than 100 differences in the brain (do not forget about individual differences within the sexes). As a rule, the consequences of these differences lie not in the area of ​​“smarter - dumber”, but in the area of ​​“rather more inclined” and “rather less inclined”. Despite the average indicators, in life there are sensitive, reasonable men and indifferent, impetuous women.

Gregory Jantz believes that because of these differences in the nervous system, it is important to teach men stress management, perseverance, and greater emotional competence, while helping women gain more confidence to better use their brain strengths.

Female brain, male brain

Women's and men's brains are different. However, recent research shows how wrong it is to assume that all gender differences are hardwired. All over the world, psychologists and neurologists are struggling with an age-old question: “Why can’t a woman think like a man, and vice versa?”

Sex differences in the brain become most noticeable in the social environment. Women of all ages outperform men hands down in tests that involve emotions or building relationships. The ability to empathize begins in infancy. Undoubtedly, this ability differs between men and women; these differences persist for a long time and only intensify with age. The early appearance of any sexual difference is always innate, programmed, developed during evolution and fixed in behavior. However, gender differences that grow in childhood may be the fruit of socialization, a consequence of a particular lifestyle, culture and education.

On the surface, brain research appears to resolve this nature-culture dilemma. Any difference in the structure or activation of male and female mental faculties has a natural basis. However, the assumption that such differences are innate is wrong, given everything we know about the plasticity, or malleability, of the brain. Simply put, the events that happen to us change our brain.

A recent study by scientists P. Nopoulos and J. Wood and their colleagues at the University of Iowa shows how difficult it is to unravel the mystery of nature and culture, even at the level of brain structures. One division of the ventral prefrontal cortex, a structure involved in social cognition and interpersonal judgment, was found to be larger in women. (The male brain is approximately 10% larger than the female brain, so any comparison of specific brain regions must be measured in proportion to this difference.)

This part of the brain is known as the gyrus rectus. It is located between the inner edge of the hemisphere and the olfactory sulcus. Nopoulos and Wood found that the gyrus rectus was approximately 10% larger in the thirty women they studied compared with the thirty men (accounting for the larger brain size of men). In addition, the scientists found that the size of the gyrus rectus correlated with a widely used test of social cognition—so that people (both men and women) who excelled at interpersonal communication also had a larger gyrus rectus.

Nopoulos and Wood suggested that because women were primarily involved in raising children, their brains were evolutionarily programmed to develop a large rectus gyrus, because women, as mothers, should be more sensitive.

This conclusion is very indicative, because it represents a typical mistake when cause and effect are confused. People make the same mistake when they say: “The thumb has evolved to make it more convenient to hold a stick.” But evolution is not a fortune teller; it cannot foresee that it will be more convenient to hold a stick with a thumb! Everything happens the other way around: due to the fact that our ancestors tried to tenaciously hold a stick, they developed a thumb. Not for a non-existent purpose, but in order to help in an action that is already taking place.

So, given the results of Nopoulos and Wood's research, let's set the right emphasis. If the size of the gyrus rectus is indeed associated with deeper interpersonal communication, then it was not the gyrus that evolved to improve communication (once again - the gyrus has no way of knowing this!), but rather the process of communication stimulated the enlargement of the gyrus.

The researchers thought the best way to test this hypothesis was to look at children. If differences in the gyrus rectus exist between the sexes from a very early age, this would support the idea that the difference is innate, programmed. Wood and Nopoulos conducted a second study in which they measured the same region in children aged between 7 and 17 years. But here the results were unexpected: it turned out that the rectus gyrus is in fact larger in boys! Moreover, the same test of interpersonal understanding showed that skill in this area was associated with smaller gyrus rectus size, rather than larger size as in adults. The authors acknowledge that their findings are complex and argue that this change between childhood and adulthood reflects later brain maturation in boys compared to girls. The brain undergoes a significant “shrinkage,” or more accurately, a reduction in the volume of gray matter during adolescence, which occurs approximately two years earlier in girls compared to boys.

This text is an introductory fragment. From the book What Sex is Your Brain? author Lemberg Boris

Female brain, male brain Female and male brains are different. However, recent research shows how wrong it is to assume that all gender differences are hardwired. All over the world, psychologists and neurologists are struggling with a question as old as the world: “Why does a woman

From the book The Beginning of Male and Female by Viilma Luule

The female mind and the male mind Men are the creators of the material world, in this area they can do everything. There is only one thing they cannot do – change a woman. Why? Because a woman is the highest quality creation of God. And women feel it. And when this feeling reaches the level

From the book Brain for rent. How human thinking works and how to create a soul for a computer author Redozubov Alexey

Ancient brain and new brain Let's take a closer look at how the brain works. Figure 2. Structure of the human brain Designations: 1. Fissure of the corpus callosum. 2. Angular groove. 3. Angular gyrus. 4. Corpus callosum. 5. Central sulcus. 6. Paracentral lobule. 7. Precuneus. 8.

From the book Intuition author Myers David J

Left Brain/Right Brain For over 100 years, we have known that the two hemispheres of the human brain have different functions. Injuries, strokes, and tumors of the left hemisphere typically affected the functions of the rational, verbal, non-intuitive mind, such as reading,

From the book The Self-Liberating Game author Demchog Vadim Viktorovich

46. ​​Male and female aspects of the game Ars amandi infinitum!685 The faster you move, the more you control the situation. Timothy Leary686 Play is an erotic phenomenon. The dancing, playing stream of life is sexual in the highest sense. That is, in the Universe, in the words of Ralph Emerson:

From the book Riddles and Secrets of the Psyche author Batuev Alexander

Right brain, left brain If you look at a schematic representation of the human brain, it is easy to notice that one of the largest formations of the brain is the symmetrically located cerebral hemispheres - the right and left. Despite the fact that

author Siegel Daniel J.

Left Brain, Right Brain: Introduction You know that our brain is divided into two hemispheres. Not only are these two parts of the brain separated anatomically, they also perform different functions. Some even believe that the two hemispheres each have their own personality or

From the book Parenting Smartly. 12 Revolutionary Strategies for Developing Your Child's Whole Brain author Siegel Daniel J.

The Social Brain: The Brain Includes the Concept of “We” What do you think of when you think of the brain? Perhaps you remember a certain image from your high school biology course: a strange organ floating in a jar, or a picture in a textbook. This is the perception when we consider

by Doidge Norman

From the book Brain Plasticity [Stunning facts about how thoughts can change the structure and function of our brain] by Doidge Norman

From the book The Female Brain and the Male Brain by Ginger Serge

From the book Shopping That Ruins You author Orlova Anna Evgenievna

Men's and women's shopping There is an opinion that men do not like to go shopping. However, recently there has been an increase in the number of men making purchases, although they are still far from matching women. Some believe that the reason for this trend is that men are increasingly

From the book Modern Course of Practical Psychology, or How to Succeed author Shapar Viktor Borisovich

Male and female communication styles

From the book 7 intimate secrets. Psychology of sexuality. Book 2 author Kurpatov Andrey Vladimirovich

Male and female orgasms Male and female orgasms, as we have already said, differ significantly from each other both in sensation and in origin, which is not the same for them. Female animals (with the exception of humans), unlike males, do not experience orgasm at all.

From the book Make Your Brain Work. How to Maximize Your Efficiency by Brann Amy

Chapter 5 A busy brain is a smart brain? How you learn new things and how to optimize this process Jesse had to learn and absorb a lot of new things. In the world of medicine, you have to constantly learn. And Jessie has been studying for as long as she can remember. However, since she

From the book The Chemistry of Love. A Scientific View of Love, Sex and Attraction by Young Larry

Women often complain that men do not understand them. Representatives of the stronger sex often make similar claims. Both of them usually consider the reason to be that their partner’s attitude is not good enough. According to experts, this is not the reason at all, but that the brain of a man and the brain of a woman work so differently that difficulties arise on their own.

Today we will tell the reader about the most important of these differences.

Source: depositphotos.com

Brain size and neural connections

The male brain is on average 10% heavier than the female brain. Scientists argue that this does not provide any advantages in the intellectual sense: the relative increase in the organ corresponds to the need to control a more massive body.

The differences in the structure of neural connections in the brains of men and women are much more significant. Among the fair sex, transverse connections predominate, that is, those that connect the right (responsible for logical thinking) and left (responsible for intuition) hemispheres. Therefore, women do not experience any particular problems when solving problems that require the use of both instinct and a cool mind. In the male brain, longitudinal connections predominate, connecting the anterior and posterior parts of the cortex. The exception is the cerebellar zone: in this area, connections between the hemispheres in men are very well developed, which explains the ability of the stronger sex to easily learn complex physical actions and achieve great success in matters that require a high degree of control over their body.

In men, the lower parietal lobe of the brain, which is responsible for mathematics abilities, is better developed, and in women, the areas of both hemispheres that determine the ability to perceive the features of language and use spoken language.

Age-related changes in the brain

At an early age, the difference between a boy's brain and a girl's brain is minimal; differences begin to appear between 14 and 17 years of age and increase with age.

As the body ages, the human brain “shrinks out,” losing some of its volume. In men and women, this process occurs with significant differences. Thus, in representatives of the stronger sex, the frontal and temporal lobes, the function of which is to control cognitive abilities, emotions and personal characteristics, decrease at the greatest rate. In women, the parietal lobe and the area of ​​the hippocampus, responsible for spatial perception, vision, speech and memory, “dry out” faster. In general, men begin to lose brain volume earlier than their peers. Scientists associate this feature with the protective effect of estrogen on the brain. The most active decrease in brain size in women occurs at the age of menopause, when the production of sexual hormones sharply decreases.

In addition, a woman's brain and a man's brain are susceptible to neurodegenerative changes to varying degrees: women are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, and men are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease.

Perception of signals coming from the senses

Women's hearing is sharper and more subtle than men's, and the point here is not in the hearing aid as such: the female brain is able to perceive sounds more clearly and highlight the smallest intonations. Likewise, men are inferior to their female friends in terms of detailed tactile sensations.

Similar differences in visual acuity have not been established, but there is a significant difference in the perception of visual signals: a man usually sees the whole picture better, while a woman pays attention to details.

Logic and emotions

Women on average have better memory than men, a larger vocabulary and higher speech activity. In addition, the fair sex has better developed emotional aspects of thinking. But men are able to more sensibly assess the surrounding reality, without complicating events with their anxieties, suspicions and subjective approach.

In any circumstances, a man pays attention to the quantitative, factual side of the issue, and a woman pays attention to the details and emotional overtones of events. For example, driving in a car through an unfamiliar city, the husband remembers the time periods spent on individual parts of the road, and his wife remembers various objects that can serve as landmarks (buildings, signs, etc.). Representatives of the sexes even show a sense of humor differently: a man is interested in the “salt” of an anecdote, while a woman prefers the story itself, which gradually reveals the meaning of a funny situation.

Behavioral and social differences

Men and women not only feel and think, but also behave differently. Representatives of the fair sex are naturally sociable and tend to establish trusting relationships. Women are considered the best organizers, capable of unobtrusively uniting people to solve a common problem. Men are more likely to be “loners”, more adapted to competition, ambitious and aggressive. In a conflict situation, a woman prefers to solve the problem through negotiations, and a man prefers to resolve the conflict by escalating the conflict.

The female tendency to somewhat disperse attention to details also has a positive side: any representative of the fairer sex easily combines several streams of information and is able to do several things at the same time. The male way of thinking involves complete concentration on a specific topic, and moving from one thing to another requires some effort and time.

Knowing the features of the brain of men and the brain of women is very useful. In fact, this is the easiest way to understand each other and stop conflicting over trifles. Remembering how another person differs from you, you can become his support, and save yourself from far-fetched grievances and disappointments. Take care of each other and be happy!

Video from YouTube on the topic of the article:

Scientists believe that 20% of men have a female brain, and 10% of women have a male brain, of course, with many individual differences. For example, women hear twice as well (2.3 times) as men. Women hear a man shouting (and think he is angry), while men feel that he is speaking in a confidential manner, even with a hint of sympathy.

A woman hears the speaker with the help of both hemispheres (left and right), while a man hears primarily with the help of the left hemisphere, with the participation of verbal, logical thinking and, therefore, critically. Women have closer connections between the two hemispheres of the brain, which allows them to solve several problems at the same time, and a man’s speech seems to them to be emotionally charged, subjectively conscious through their desires and anxieties, filtered through ethical or social values. They hear what a man says, but even more they feel how he does it, feeling the timbre of a man's voice, the rhythm of his breathing, his supposed feelings.

The left hemisphere of the brain is more developed in women, and the right (so-called emotional) is more developed in men. This is contrary to what ordinary people (and sometimes even psychotherapists) think. This means that a woman is more involved in verbal participation and communication, while a man is more prepared for action and competition.

The husband interrupts his wife to offer a solution, and the wife feels like he is not listening to her. In fact, men are more emotional than women, but they express their emotions less, and this should not be neglected in married life. For a woman, time is more important; the left hemisphere is responsible for this. For a man, space is more important, and the right hemisphere plays an important role here. The advantage of a man when tested in volumetric spatial action is enormous, starting from childhood.

A woman finds her way along specific markers - surpassing a man in remembering or identifying specific objects. A man operates with abstract concepts - he is able to improvise, “shortcut to get to his car or hotel.”

It is believed that a woman is more sensitive, but not emotional. She has a very well developed hearing, which is why gentle words, timbre of voice, music, etc. are important to her. Her tactile sensitivity is more developed - on a woman’s skin there are 10 times more receptors sensitive to touch. In addition, oxytocin and prolactin (attachment and affection hormones) increase her need for touch and affection.

As for vision, in men it is more developed and more eroticized - hence their interest and excitement caused by clothes, makeup, jewelry, nudity, and pornographic magazines. However, women have better developed visual memory (for faces, the order of objects, the shape of objects, etc.).

The fundamental differences between men and women are attributed to natural selection over more than a million years of evolution of the human species. The man is adapted to hunting over large spaces and distances (as well as to fighting and war between tribes). Usually he had to silently pursue his prey, sometimes for several days, and then find his way back to his cave (orientation). In ancient times, there was very little verbal exchange; it is estimated that prehistoric man met no more than 150 people in his entire life. During the same period of time, the woman's brain adapted to her primary purpose of raising children, which required verbal communication. Based on this, at the biological level, a man is programmed for competition, a woman for cooperation.

These differences are established during the very first weeks of intrauterine life, and are very little influenced later by education and culture. Today it is believed that our personality is determined and determined one-third by heredity, one-third by intrauterine life. Personality is determined one third by acquired knowledge, which is influenced by the cultural environment, level of education, upbringing, and random circumstances.

When the ball is on the ground, boys kick it, and girls pick it up and press it to their chest. This happens involuntarily and is directly related to hormones.

Testosterone is the hormone of desire, sexuality and aggression. It could be called the hormone of conquest (military or sexual). At optimal testosterone concentration:

  • develops muscle strength (40% of muscles in men; 23% in women);
  • determines the speed of reactions and lack of restraint (92% of drivers honk in traffic jams, and these are mainly men);
  • promotes the formation of aggression, competition, dominance (the dominant male maintains the quality of the species);
  • develops endurance and perseverance;
  • promotes wound healing, increased baldness, vigilance, development of right-sidedness of the body, accuracy of movements and orientation.

Estrogens, in turn, contribute to the development of dexterity, separate movement of fingers, left-sidedness of the body, as well as the formation of about 15% of body fat in men and 25% in women, necessary for protecting and feeding the baby.

Estrogens also affect a woman’s hearing; she distinguishes a wider range of sounds, recognizes sounds and music better (6 times) than a man, and sings better. The woman remembers the names of colors well, and she also has well-developed auditory and visual memory. A woman is attracted to a dominant male who is strong, protective, experienced and socially recognized, and who is usually older in age.

The woman speaks without thinking; a man acts without thinking.

A woman who is unhappy in her personal relationships also has problems at work; a man who is unhappy at work has problems in relationships with women.

A woman needs intimacy in order to appreciate sexuality, a man needs sexuality in order to appreciate intimacy.

Source: Lecture by clinical physiologist, registrar of the European Association of Psychotherapy, Serge Ginger.

How to find out something personal about your interlocutor by his appearance

Secrets of “owls” that “larks” don’t know about

How does “brainmail” work - transmitting messages from brain to brain via the Internet

Why is boredom necessary?

“Man Magnet”: How to become more charismatic and attract people to you

25 Quotes That Will Bring Out Your Inner Fighter

How to develop self-confidence

Is it possible to “cleanse the body of toxins”?

5 Reasons People Will Always Blame the Victim, Not the Criminal, for a Crime

Editor's Choice
Thank you The site provides reference information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under...

Each of us has been on a diet at least once in our lives. Diets are different, depending on the goal set for a person. But...

Nutrition after gallbladder removal is different from what it was before surgery. The patient should know that it is possible...

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a method of studying brain activity by recording electrical impulses emanating from...
The formation of the reproductive system in an embryo according to the female or male type, spermatogenesis, maturation of follicles - all these functions...
Botkin's disease is a disease whose pathomorphological manifestations are localized exclusively in the liver, differing...
Botkin's disease (viral hepatitis A) is an infectious liver lesion, which is one of the most favorable forms of hepatitis...
Observing dietary restrictions for patients helps to achieve effective results in the treatment of diseases. Speed ​​up withdrawal...
Fatty liver disease, or fatty hepatosis, or as it is also called, liver steatosis, is the most common disease in our time...