Have you ever wondered why women have more friends than men? Why men allegedly do better in math than women? Or why women aren’t in alot of science and math related fields? Finally, Dr. Louann Brizendine has uncovered this mystery for us in a scientific light; the female and the male brain are not the same. Whether it is a difference in hormones or varying sections in size of certain parts of the brain, the two brains are very distinct from each other.
The bookThe Female Brain written by Dr. Louann Brizendine, uncovers that women have larger sections of: the anterior cingulate cortex which makes decisions, the prefrontal cortex (deals with planning and some aspects of one’s personality), the insula (or the center that processes gut feelings) and the hippocampus (the long term memory storage housein the brain). Men have smaller sections of the preceding but have a larger amygdala which is responsible for emotions. The larger it is in a certain species corresponds with the levels of aggression. In fact when males are castrated their amygdala gets smaller by thirty percent.
Dr. Brizendine uncovers that women thrive on social connections, are family oriented and can read faces, which means that a women can tell how a person is feeling by looking at his face. Men however, do not thrive on social connections and cannot read faces.
Dr. Brizendine gives an example of this with mathematical and engineering occupations. Their are not many females in those two fields; many people believed that they are not smart enough to think in such a complex way. The reality is that those two occupations are very isolated and women like to be in occupations where they can interact with people more. That is why there are many more women as lawyers and journalists than men. It is a well known fact that their are more women’s magazines than men’s magazines because women seem to flock towards these areas of occupation.
Dr. Brizendine uncovers the mysteries of the Female brain in seven insightful and entertaining chapters. The chapters go through the life of a female. Each chapter goes from the birth of the female brain to the mature female brain. This a must read for Women and Men across the globe.
Other links:
http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/how-male-female-brains-differ
http://www.thirdage.com/love-romance/the-male-vs-the-female-brain
If you want to hear a passage of the Female brain from Louann Brizendine:
http://fora.tv/2006/11/17/Female_Brain
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