How a man's brain works. Male and female brains: differences. So is there a difference

Gender differences and related discrimination is a particularly acute topic in modern world... Whether the brain of a man and a woman is different, whether this affects behavior and intelligence is a question of concern to many.

Considering the question of how the male and female brains differ, it is necessary to clarify the original concept of gender.

There are two terms:

gender - determined by biology and anatomy encoded in DNA;
gender, which is determined by genetics, anatomy and behavioral traits.

Determining the difference between a man's brain and a woman's brain begins only after indicating from what point of view we are considering it. Sex differences determine architecture and functions, much more difficult with the concept of gender (a change of sex does not mean a change in the structure of an organ).

Genes are everything

The first differences in the structure of the organ are laid at the level of embryo formation. The combination of XY chromosomes determines the development of the human embryo-boy, variant XX - will predetermine the manifestation of the girl.

Chromosome X contains 1,500 genes that are responsible for human development. The male body uses all the genes of the mother's chromosome - he has no choice. A female, given two X chromosomes, acts selectively, using genes from both, and her selection is random. Girls knowingly receive at their disposal twice as much genetic material as boys.

Most of these 1,500 genes determine the formation and activity of the organ. Studies conducted at the beginning of this century by US scientists determined that they predetermine the production of the protein responsible for the architecture of the brain and determine: thinking; speech skills; a type social behavior; intelligence.

Genes reproduce molecules to perform the duties of the cells where they are contained. The brain is created from cells that experience the action of sex chromosomes, under their influence, a type is formed. The female brain differs from the male in the thickness of the regions responsible for making decisions (frontal lobe and prefrontal cortex), the structure of the limbic zone, which is responsible for cognition and emotion. There is a significant difference in the structure of the amygdala, which is responsible for the emergence and memorization of emotions. In men, it is much larger, the connection of the tonsils in the female brain is determined with the left hemisphere, in gentlemen the opposite is true.

It is useful to know: Why is brain development important for modern man and how to do it effectively

Neurotransmitters that regulate emotions are synthesized differently in the body of men and women, different patterns of interaction between the hemispheres are predetermined by gender.

Pathologists note a more frequent presence of mental underdevelopment in men - this is determined by mutations in the genes of the X chromosome. With the same breakdown, a woman very often has no obvious consequences.

This is evidence that gender determines brain function. But there is no rigid determinism - the physiological sex does not always determine the "sex" of the organ, in about 20% of cases women differ in that they think according to the masculine type and vice versa.

Complementary differences

Despite the differences in the formation of the brain at the embryonic level, the formation of its functional zones and abilities

a person is affected by the level of hormones in the amniotic fluid. Simon Baron-Cohen, in his research, has established a direct connection:

the more testosterone in the body of pregnant women, the later their babies try to speak, it is difficult for such children to establish eye contact with others (the formation is in the male pattern). The difference in testosterone levels affects the formation of the difference in girls and boys.

The final formation of the organ occurs during the development of the baby. Consequently - 2/3 of the differences in the male and female brains are laid at the level of intrauterine development, a third - in the process of development and formation of the personality at an early age.

Brain architecture

How is the male brain different from the female? Since, on average, the brain occupies 2% of the body weight, the male brain is larger, but the cells in the female brain are more densely located, information between them is transmitted faster.

Men and women own different types interconnection of the hemispheres. Gentlemen use only one hemisphere at a time, ladies - both, the peculiarities of information processing predetermine the development of spatial orientation abilities in men.

Women, due to the use of both hemispheres in the process of activity, are better at establishing social connections and can solve several problems at the same time.

Ability to verbal communication

Sexual characteristics of the central nervous system, despite thousands of years of evolution, still determined by the main function of the species - reproduction and preservation of offspring as a way of survival. Despite all the troubles of civilization, the basis of human behavior is all the same initial schemes, determined by nature for the possibility of reproduction of Homo sapiens.

The features of the brain of men, whose role was determined by the protection and production of food for the family, is a developed right hemisphere that determines spatial orientation.

The woman's brain is formed taking into account the need for nursing and training offspring, therefore, the left hemisphere is most effectively used in it, which determines the speech and communication skills of women. In boys, the development of the left hemisphere is inhibited by testosterone during prenatal development.

To process speech information, the brains of men and women use different circuits: two hemispheres and more developed neural connections in women, one hemisphere and less developed connections in men.

This determines a faster recovery of speech in women after organ damage and best ability for girls to read and write.

Interaction with the outside world

The structural features of a woman's brain allow her to hear 2.5 times better, distinguish smells and tastes more sharply. Ladies perceive colors a little differently - they have access to more shades of color than men.

A man is more capable of distinguishing between small objects in motion (hunter's vision).

Feelings, emotions, joint activities

The brain of the average man reacts to a stressful situation by activating the right hemisphere, the woman's brain activates the left, for the stronger sex the essence of the stress state is more important than the details of the experience. Women, on the contrary, remember the details of their sensory experience, they have a “sensory memory”, their memories of events turn into memories of emotions.

More women than men are affected by change hormonal background... In the climacteric period, the ability of women to learn new skills and memorize information decreases.

It is useful to know: Brain training and development

When it is necessary to combine efforts to achieve the goal, women show the best indicators - they interact better with each other. Men are better at reaching rapport in large groups.

When cooperation is needed, women's brains use the temporal cortex, while men's brains activate the lower right prefrontal zone.

Oddly enough, if the interaction of a woman-woman pair is necessary, the central nervous system is tuned for mutual cooperation; in a man-woman pair, there is no such process, although this does not affect the achievement of the final task. Whether this is a confirmation of the initially different roles of men and women in the survival of the species is unknown.

Differences in thinking

A huge resource allows a person to learn in the process of development, therefore there are women with a masculine way of thinking and men thinking like a woman.

The brain of women in thinking uses two hemispheres, allowing you to perform several tasks at the same time.

What a woman can do better:

maintain a balance between tasks;
engage in various tasks at the same time;
use memory;
balance logic and emotions;
use speech;
establish social connections.

What is worse:

focus in isolated difficult cases;
work with high efficiency;
think logically;
discard emotions when making decisions;

A man's brain can perform one task, it does not use associations.

What men can do better:

focus and complete the task perfectly;
achieve maximum performance;

There is little that worries people more than the psychological differences between men and women. How do men and women think what they feel, can they understand each other - disputes about this have been boiling for centuries, without abating.

Obviously, the sex differences should correspond to the features in the structure and functioning of the brain. Modern neurosciences (neurobiology, neuropsychology, etc.) provide us with the opportunity to gain knowledge about the biological causes of behavioral and cognitive differences.In general, there is a significant difference in the functioning of the brain of men and women, which affects the reactions, behavior, decision-making and abilities in certain other areas of activity. However, no experiment has shown the difference between men and women in general level mental abilities. Numerous studies have shown that biological sex does not necessarily rigidly determine the sex of the brain. In a woman, the functions characteristic of men and vice versa may prevail, or a balance of female and male characteristics in the functioning of the brain is possible. So, how does the male brain differ from the female:

Brain structure

The male brain is larger than the female by weight and volume. On average, the brain of men weighs 100 g more than the brain of women. However, in the female brain, nerve cells are more densely located to each other, which contributes to faster signal transmission between them. In the brain in men, intrahemispheric connections predominate, and in women, interhemispheric connections. It is assumed that this feature underlies the difference in the implementation of spatial and social skills. Men have a stronger connection between perception of reality and coordination of actions, therefore, spatial abilities are better developed. Women have a stronger connection between analytical and intuitive modes of information processing, so social skills and the ability to solve multitasking are better developed.

Verbal abilities

In the process of intrauterine development, under the influence of testosterone in boys, the growth of the left hemisphere slows down, and it also contributes to the relatively greater development of the right hemisphere. This explains the greater severity of verbal abilities in women (which belong to the left hemisphere), and in men - visual-spatial (mainly related to the right hemisphere). When processing verbal information, women use both hemispheres of the brain, and men - only one. In women, the hemispheres are connected by thicker "cables" of nerve fibers, in men - by thinner ones. Therefore, in particular, in women after a stroke, speech is restored better than in men. And speech and reading impairments childhood are two times more common in boys than in girls. According to the popular hypothesis of the American psychologist J. Levy, these differences are also based on evolutionary and social factors. In ancient times, men were mainly engaged in hunting, which required a good development of spatial abilities. The women took care of the children, which required good communication skills. During natural selection the skills necessary for survival were consolidated and passed on to future generations.

Perception

Women hear better and have a more developed sense of smell and taste. Men are better at distinguishing small details of moving objects - this feature may have made them good hunters. Male and female brains perceive color information slightly differently. The color orange appears to be redder to men than to women. It is also more difficult for men to notice differences in shades of yellow, green and blue.

Emotions and memory

In men, the stress response is expressed in the amygdala of the right hemisphere, while the left hemisphere is at rest. In women, on the contrary - under stress, the left amygdala is activated. Therefore, men remember the essence better than the details of emotions, and women remember the details better than the essence of emotional experience. The male brain reacts better to male emotions - in the experiment, men more accurately determine emotional condition the person in the photo if the person in the photo was also male. Women faster and more intensely than men reproduce emotional events from own experience... Their memories of emotionally important events, such as their first date or vacation, are brighter and more vivid. Sexual factors influence the aging process in the brain. With age, the process of assimilating glucose, the source of energy, changes in the brain. In women, the metabolic rate falls more slowly than in men. Therefore, women are less prone to cognitive degradation, because their brain is physiologically younger than the brain of a man of the same age. Men become more forgetful with age and are more likely to suffer from neurodegenerative diseases. The memory of women under 45-55 years of age is better than that of men. However, after menopause, women's memory deteriorates, which is associated with a decrease in estradiol levels. Also, the effectiveness of learning and the ability to recall previously learned information decreases. Women become more susceptible to neurodegenerative diseases, dementia and other cognitive impairments.

Team work

Experiments on mutual cooperation show that women cooperate better with each other if they feel that other women are watching them. Men cooperate better with each other in large groups than in small ones. At the same time, it is easier for two men to reach agreement than two women. But at the same time, in a female-male pair, a woman is more inclined to cooperate than her partner. Research on the effectiveness of teamwork has shown that different neuronal regions are responsible for the mutual tuning of activity in the female and male brains. If the partners are of the same sex, then the brain activity of both is better coordinated with each other. And the more the synchronization of neural activity, the better result In this case, in men, the coordination of activity occurs in some neural circuits, and in women - in others. So, women in mutual attunement especially Active participation takes the right temporal cortex, and in men - the right inferior prefrontal cortex. In mixed female-male pairs, such mutual adjustment does not occur, although they perform cooperation tasks almost as successfully. Women switch from one task to another more easily and faster than men, and they require less brain effort to do this. The male brain requires more energy to switch attention. Women's brains are "calmer" when they are multitasking. In men, however, there is a stronger activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal regions.

Sexual behavior

The male sexual signaling system is primarily visual. Any visual or tangible image can generate arousal and sexual desire. Therefore, among men there are much more fetishists when a certain type of leg, smell or hair color turns on their "sex button". A woman has many more factors involved for this. The female brain repeatedly calculates all the qualities of a partner, because from an evolutionary point of view, the man's good choice guaranteed the survival of the children.

Female brain, male brain

The female and male brains are different. However, recent research shows how wrong it is to assume that all gender differences are programmed. All over the world, psychologists and neurologists are struggling with the old, like the world, the question: "Why can't a woman think like a man, and vice versa?"

The sex differences in the brain are most noticeable in the social environment. Women of all ages beat men unconditionally on tests that involve emotion or relationship. The ability to empathize begins in infancy. Undoubtedly, this ability differs in men and women, these differences persist for a long time and only increase with age. The early emergence of any gender difference is always congenital, programmed, developed in the course of evolution and fixed in behavior. However, gender differences that grow in childhood can be the fruit of socialization, a consequence of a particular lifestyle, culture and learning.

On the face of it, brain research solves this dilemma of nature and culture. 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 pliability, of the brain. Simply put, things that happen to us change our brains.

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

This part of the brain is known as the "straight gyrus". It is located between the inner edge of the hemisphere and the olfactory groove. Nopoulos and Wood found that the rectus gyrus was approximately 10% larger in the thirty women they observed, compared with thirty men (given the larger brains in men). In addition, the researchers recorded that the size of the rectus gyrus was correlated with the widely used test of social cognition, so that people (both men and women) who excelled favorably in interpersonal communication also had a larger rectus gyrus.

Nopoulos and Wood suggested that since women were primarily concerned with raising children, their brains were evolutionarily programmed to develop a large rectus gyrus, because a woman as a mother 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 developed to make it easier to hold the 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 hold a stick tenaciously, they developed a thumb. Not for a non-existent purpose, but in order to help in an action that is taking place now.

So, given the results of Nopoulos and Wood's research, let's put the right emphasis on. If the size of the rectus gyrus is indeed associated with deeper interpersonal communication, then the gyrus did not develop to improve communication (once again - the gyrus cannot know this!), But the communication process stimulated an increase in the gyrus.

The researchers considered that The best way test this hypothesis - look at the children. If a difference in the straight gyrus exists between the sexes from the very early years, this will confirm the idea that the difference is innate, programmed. Wood and Nopoulos conducted a second study that measured the same area in children between the ages of 7 and 17. But here the results were unexpected: it turned out that the straight gyrus is actually larger in boys! In addition, the same test of interpersonal comprehension showed that skill in this area correlated with a smaller rectus rather than a larger one as in adults. The authors acknowledge that their findings are complex and argue that this change between childhood and adulthood reflects the later maturation of the brains of boys compared to girls. The brain undergoes a significant "shrinking", or rather, a reduction in gray matter during adolescence, which happens about two years earlier in girls compared to boys.

This text is an introductory fragment. From the book What is your brain's gender? 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 programmed. All over the world, psychologists and neurologists are struggling with the question as old as the world: “Why is a woman

From the book Beginning male and female by Viilma Luule

Female mind and male mind Men are creators of the material world, in this area they can do everything. They cannot only one thing - to remake a woman. Why? Because a woman is the highest quality creation of God. And women feel it. And when this feeling goes to the level

From the book The Brain for Rent. How does it work human thinking and how to create a soul for a computer the author Alexey Redozubov

The Ancient Brain and the New Brain Let's take a closer look at how the brain works. Figure 2. The structure of the human brain Legend: 1. Groove of the corpus callosum. 2. Angular groove. 3. Angular gyrus. 4. Corpus callosum. 5. Central furrow. 6. Paracentral lobule. 7. Fore-wedge. eight.

From the book Intuition the author Myers David J.

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

From the book Self-Liberating Game the 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 Leary 686 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 the author Batuev Alexander

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

the author Siegel Daniel J.

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

From the book Education with the mind. 12 revolutionary strategies for all-round development of your child's brain the author Siegel Daniel J.

Social Brain: The Brain Includes “We” What do you imagine when you think of the brain? Perhaps you are reminded of an image from a school biology course: a strange organ floating in a jar, or a picture in a textbook. This kind of perception when we consider

by Doidge Norman

From the book The Plasticity of the Brain [Stunning Facts About How Thoughts Can Change the Structure and Function of Our Brains] by Doidge Norman

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

From the book The Shopping That Ruins You the author Orlova Anna Evgenievna

Shopping for Men and Women There is an opinion that men do not like to go shopping. However, in recent times there is an increase in the number of men shopping, although they are still far from women. The reason for this trend is that some believe that men are all

From the book The Modern Course practical psychology, or How to Succeed the author Shapar Victor Borisovich

Male and female communication styles

From the book of 7 intimate secrets. Psychology of sexuality. Book 2 the 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 Busy Brain - Smart Brain? How do you learn new things and how to optimize this process Jesse had to learn and learn a lot of new things. In the world of medicine, you have to study all the time, and Jesse has been studying for as long as she can remember. However, since she

From the book Chemistry of Love. A scientific view of love, sex and attraction author Young Larry

Among the adherents of various esoteric teachings, there is an opinion that men and women came to our Earth from different planets. As if the representatives of the stronger sex flew from Mars, and the beautiful half of humanity once lived on Venus. This theory is vulnerable from the point of view of science and elementary logic, but some confirmed facts indicate significant differences between the anatomical structure of the vital organs of the body in representatives of different sexes. This primarily concerns the brain.

Gender logic

It has long been observed that men and women think and perceive life situations differently. Earlier, before the era scientific discoveries and the achievements of neurosurgery, these features served as a pretext for many anecdotes, jokes and mutual ironic passages (which is only the theme of the notorious female logic). It turned out, however, that this difference has very specific reasons concerning the structure of the hemispheres, their functional workload and internal neurovascular connections. You can start with the simplest and most understandable to all indicator, which is most easily determined by physical means, that is, from the mass. The male brain weighs more than the female. This fact in itself can serve as an argument in favor of male chauvinism, but only until a deeper analysis is carried out. Size and weight are by no means a reason to assert the superiority of those who have something more over those who have something less. It's not just about size.

Physiology of mental processes

A recent study of thousands of young people of both genders revealed some similarities observed in groups of boys and girls. Modern means of magnetic resonance imaging have made it possible to discern that neurovascular connections within the hemispheres prevail in the male brain. This means that in this case, connections provide more information exchange between the front and back of the brain. Another thing is for women. They have a greater degree of connection between the hemispheres, and the channels mainly run from right to left (or vice versa, as it is more convenient for someone to count). Scientists believe that it is this difference that determines the difference in thinking algorithms.

Male logic, female logic

The difference in the structure of the brain gives rise to a difference in the perception of the world. Men show in the general mass a greater ability to master motor skills and assimilate the exact sciences, while women are stronger in analytical and intuitive thinking. In addition, the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity have a better verbal memory and are more inclined towards social cognition. If we translate these tricky terms into simple and understandable language, it means that an ordinary average man cannot talk to a woman, and he will be much inferior to her in collecting the necessary information and sharing it (often, alas, expressed in gossip and spreading rumors ).

By the way, despite the relatively smaller size, the female brain contains a higher percentage of gray matter, which is responsible for storing and processing information from the senses. The heavy male brain is largely composed of white matter, which are connecting informative channels. Thus, the difference lies not only in the methods of connection ("back and forth" and "right to left"), but also in the very principle of operation.

Age changes

Differences in the structure of the brain are most clearly manifested in adolescence, that is, when the formation of sexuality takes place and ends. As you grow older, reach maturity and age, the difference is largely leveled, internal relations becomes larger both within the hemispheres and between them. Women develop the ability to think logically, and men acquire abstractness of mind and intuition. Perhaps this is called wisdom.

In addition, it should be remembered that there are no one hundred percent men (as well as women) in nature, and each person's way of thinking is individual.

Psychologist Adriana Imzh proposes to solve gender issue scientifically

There are many different fantasies and myths on this topic. Very often, women are credited with frivolity, irresponsibility and emotionality, although in fact research shows that women are excellent at coping with difficult and serious problems - right up to the leadership of combat squadrons, and the emotionality of men is no less, they are simply taught to express only certain emotions, and the rest - somatize. Men are credited with responsibility, rationality and self-discipline, although in fact men, for example, are much more likely to disrupt project deadlines, generally skip more and quit more often, make logical mistakes with the same frequency and are quite often absent-minded - more often distracted than women.

Nonetheless, current research on MRI scans reveals true structural differences. We will talk about them today. So, scientists distinguish the following types in the differences between male and female brain: the ratio of white and gray matter, physiology, blood supply and innervation.

From the point of view of science

White to gray matter ratioit is different for men and women: men have a little more gray, and women have more white... Gray matter is localized, grouped and responsible for analysis, it is a kind of processor. White matter- this is a connection, it is responsible for the connection of neurons with each other. Men have more processing sites, women have more binder.

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

That is, this ratio is from the category of "rather" and "to some extent", and not "women are created for a large number of tasks, and men are ideally focused."

Physiology

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

Serotonin, oxytocin and estrogen are higher in women - it is due to this that they have greater perseverance, sensitivity, emotional competence and the ability to create stronger human relationships. Female friendship it is uselessly ridiculed: statistically, it is women with women that have the longest, most trusting and warm contacts - as opposed to intergender contacts or "strong male friendship."

Testosterone and lower levels of other hormones are associated with less perseverance and more aggressiveness in men, as well as a decrease in empathy when absorbed in tasks. This makes it more difficult for men to cope with stress, they are more likely to suffer from depression and are more prone to suicide. Paradoxically, this also means that men are encouraged to cry more to lower blood levels of cortisol, a stress hormone that, when accumulated in the body, lowers immunity, destroys muscles and causes depression.

Structural differences

Women have more hippocampus and more areas of speech; in men, they are usually 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, emotions, and also remember more sounds, smells, sensations and visual details.

Blood supply and innervation

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

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

Men are more impulsive, handle less stress, are less empathetic, and have 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, there are more than 100 differences in the brain in men and women (do not forget about individual intra-sex differences). Typically, the implications of these differences are not in the "smarter is dumber" area, but in the "rather more inclined" and "rather less inclined" areas. Despite the average indicators, in life there are sensitive sensible men and indifferent impetuous women.

Gregory Janz believes that due to such differences nervous system It is very important to educate men on stress management, perseverance, and greater emotional competence, while helping women gain more confidence to use their brain strengths more effectively.