Brain Rules: Chapter 11 Gender
Rule #11 Male and female brains are different.
This must have been delicate chapter for John Medina to right. Some time political correctness can run amok. Men and women are physically different, would it not make sense that are brains and therefore brain function might also be different. Add to this the idea of nature verses nurture and the subject of gender and learning can get pretty complex.
What is known is the men and women’s brains have different structures, men have a larger amygdala then women. The amygdala is responsible for emotions, their creation and memory. Men tend to remember the gist of an event and women tend to remember the emotional details. Men and women have differences in the front and pre-frontal cortex this area is responsible for decision making.
I found the sections on communication and relationships interesting. There are documented differences between men and women. However the role of nurture may play a bigger part then nature. This chapter is worth a re-read.
One thought on “Brain Rules: Chapter 11 Gender”
I have been reading your summaries with interest (almost bought the book but 4 sitting here I have yet to read!) My students love when I discuss male vs. female brains (i.e. like why women like to talk about it and why they can). They also like to know why women can argue a shade of color to death (it is physical in the eye) and we also go over genetics with the y chromosome. I try to balance it out between the sexes. You are right, it would be hard for that chapter to be written. I am thinking I need to explore that myself as well as I do not know it all.