Saturday, December 4, 2010

Male and Female Brains

Couples will often comment “We just don’t think the same way.” And they’re right. Men and women’s brains are different. They literally do not function the same way.

For example, from infancy girl brains are more interested in people and communicating while boy brains are more interested in objects and actions. The fact that these differences show up early in infancy
means they are not learned but are “hard-wired”.

Women also have more “connectors” between the left and right hemispheres of the brain so it is easier for them to access both parts of their brain. It has been said that navigating between the right and left brains in women is like a four-lane freeway, whereas in men it is like a winding country road or even a pathway in the woods.

These brain differences explain why men have a harder time accessing their feelings and why women are more concerned about relationships. Both feelings and relationships are a function of the right brain. Because men have a harder time accessing both hemispheres, they generally operate from their left brain which is more task-oriented and logical.

It is good for husbands to understand these differences - that their wives are not just being “over-emotional”, for example, they simply have more access to their emotions. It is also good for wives to understand that their husbands are not “uncaring”, it is simply harder for them to access their emotions. Both husbands and wives need to be patient and willing to learn from each other. Our brains really are different.

2 comments:

  1. HI Mom, it is always a joyful thing to read your story. :-) I have one question though, do you have to show references-research when you comment on the differences between men and women, so that it would be more convinced?

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  2. It never hurts to point out references (although I find that most people aren't too interested in the research. They generally recognize the truth through their own experiences). Daniel Amen has done a lot of research on the brain including the differences between men's and women's brains. He's written a number of books. Another book that discusses the differences between male & female brains is "For All Eternity" by John Lund.

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