SHARES
Beyond the obvious physiological differences between the human male and female are innate behavioral and mental contrasts occasioned by the chromosomal differences in their genetic make-up. Many of these differences are responsible for the strengths and weaknesses of either gender. Getting to know these differences will help you know where you fit and accept your role either as a male or as a female in the society. So what are the differences between the male and female brain? Read on to find out…
Needless to say, there is no ground for gender rivalry. The whole picture presented by the comparative analysis of the differences in the brain of both gender shows that they are better together as complimentary partners than as rivals in competition. Studies have established differences in the male and female brain in the following areas.
Concentration of white and grey matter
Studies have established that there is a significant difference in the areas of concentration of the grey and white matter between male and female. While females have a greater percentage of their brain comprised of grey matter, in contrast, males have a higher concentration of white matter. The grey matter in humans is responsible for emotions, speech, decision- making, sensory perception, and self-control. The white matter, on the other hand, is the center for learning and helps connect different parts of the brain together. With this explanation of the functions of the gray and white matter, it is clear why males tend to more rational and logical in their thinking while females connect their thoughts through emotions and feelings.
Brain size
On the average studies have shown that the male brain is larger and heavier than the female brain. However, this is no measure of their respective level intelligence. Studies suggest that both genders have just got the appropriate brain size for their body mass. This deductively means both genders would have the same brain to body mass ratio. If this index is anything to go by, both genders would have the same level of intelligence.
Language Processing Ability
The female brain has an enhanced faculty for better communication than the male brain. This comes as a result of the larger size of the Wernicke’s and Broca’s areas in the female brain. These areas are the brain’s center for auditory and language processing. Since they are larger in the female brain, females tend to be better communicators than males.
Visual-Spatial Ability
What the male brain lacks in auditory processing ability, it makes up for in visual processing ability. The male brain has larger parietal lobes, the primary visual processing center of the brain. This accounts for the male dominance in visual-spatial tasks and also explains why males are more sexually stimulated by visuals.
Blood Flow
Neuroanatomical evidence shows that females do have a faster blood flow to their brains than males. As a direct result of this, males lose more brain tissues than females. This also explains why males are more likely to suffer memory loss and deteriorating mental health as they age than females.
Ability to handle stress
You probably know that females are more prone to emotional distress and anxiety than men but you most likely can’t explain why. Again, the difference in the structure of both brains is responsible for this. The male brain has a larger serotonin system than that of the female. An integral component of this system is the amygdala, the responsive part of the whole structure that receives information from the environment and controls the emotional response to such stimuli. The amygdala is also much larger in male brains than in female brains. With the secretion of serotonin to the amygdala, male folks are able to keep their composure even when hit with a sad news. The same thing cannot be said of females, with a very low secretion of the serotonin in their small amygdala, the slightest unpleasant news knocks a woman off emotional balance.
Memory Storage
In human, the part of the brain that does memory storage function is the hippocampus. An x-ray of the brain structure of females and males have revealed that this part of the brain is larger in females than males; To this end; if a male and a female of the same species were to go site seeing. Years and years after, the female is likely to remember the exact sequence of events and all the landmarks they came across. With an assumption that there have been no changes to the site; if the same female who visited the site years ago were to visit again, she would be able to make her through from the memories of the position of the landmarks and physical features she had stored up in the hippocampus. The male may not remember all those details but would rather find his way through from a sensory estimation and calculation of how they navigated the site years ago.
Size of the Cerebellum
The larger size of the male brain means that some of its parts would also be larger than the corresponding parts of the female brain. One part of the male brain that is significantly larger than the same part in the female brain is the cerebellum. However, this does not suggest that Cerebellum in male brains is more effective than that of the female brain. Just to buttress the point on both sexes equal brain to body mass ratio that had been established before now, it is pertinent to point out that since the females have smaller bodies with fewer muscles on the average, they have just got the right size of the cerebellum to coordinate body balance.
Now, as a male or female, you know better why you act the way you do and why the opposite gender tends in some bbehavioural direction. It’s not time to compete with each other; rather, learn to accept your natural makeup; compliment the other gender where necessary and enjoy the difference.
by Hridya
A biochemist by education who could never put what she studied to good use, finally found GetDoc as a medium to do what she loved - bring information to people using a forum that is dedicated to all things medical. View all articles by Hridya.
