THE MALE AND FEMALE BRAIN

How are they different?

THE SENSES

MALE• More sensitive to

changes in levels of light

FEMALE• More acute sense of

smell• Better hearing

MOTOR SKILLS

MALE• More refined ability for

target directed motor skills (gross motor coordination – especially in children)

FEMALE• Faster at precision

manual tasks (fine motor coordination – especially in children)

THE PHYSICAL BRAIN

MALE10% larger than the

female brain (about 100 grams more brain tissue)

More neurons in the cerebral cortex

Larger Hypothalamus – helps regulate biological drives

FEMALEMore dendritic

connections between cells than men

Larger Corpus Callosum – greater use of both hemispheres for processing information

THE PHYSICAL BRAIN (Cont.)

MALELarger Inferior Parietal

Lobule – an area of mental mathematical abilities (perceptions of time, speed, and mentally rotating 3D figures

FEMALELarger Amygdala (an area

involved in regulating and controlling emotional reactions)

Larger Limbic System (an area responsible for the generation of emotions)

HEMISPHERE PREFERENCE AND UTILIZATION

MALEMore likely to have left

brain hemispherical preference

Uses more of left hemisphere for understanding language

FEMALEMore likely to have right

brain hemispherical preference

Uses both hemispheres for understanding language

Speaks more words and can find words more readily than men

A male brain when reading is really only active on the left hemisphere of the brain, while the female brain when reading is active on both sides of the brain.

EMOTIONS

MALEUses more of left

hemisphere to direct emotions to specific uses

FEMALEMore in touch with their

feelingsGreater ability to bond

with others and be empathetic

Better at human relations

PROBLEMS

MALEMore prone to developing

ADHD, Autism disorders, and Tourette’s Syndrome

More prone to Anti-Social disorders

More prone to neuron disease: Example - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

FEMALEMore prone to developing

Alzheimer’s DiseaseMore susceptible to

depression and related mood disorders such as anxiety

Higher risk of suicide attempts

More prone to developing anorexia

INTELLIGENCE

Despite the physical differences between the male and female brain and how males and females utilize their abilities there is NO IDENTIFIABLE DIFFERENCE in intellectual ability between the male and female brain.