Gender Differences

[niffer]

The was I study I read a while back on a guy who came up with this test for male and female brains. I think his name was Cohen or Baron-Cohen.

"But government scientist have proven womens have brain size of squirrel!"

 

[Totenkindly]

I don't know if anyone's brought this up already, but 75% of women are Fs. Methinks 'tis the estrogen hard at work?

I don't know if it's that simple.

In the broad physical sense, estrogen does create synergy with all sorts of feelings (not aggressive ones like T seems to focus on); the skin is far more sensitive, there seems to be far more awareness in body sensation, and testosterone almost seems to be some sort of drive mechanism that muddies out or simply overrides the raw sensation (and receptive response) that estrogen encourages.

F is NOT feelings... but feelings seem to be indirectly tied to values (T's more easily dismiss the non-aggressive feelings, F's seem more influenced by them even if their decisions are not necessarily based on them.) I notice my ESFP son has far more "feminine" qualities than other males his age, although as he got older he seemed to become more and more boyish as his body changed and matured even if he still preserves that large emotional flux aspect and the physical sensitivity (via Se as his focus) of things.

Also, the male world seems more impersonal than the female, with the primary expression of this difference being the reproductive facet where men are geared in today's culture to bringing home resources while more women are geared to maintain the household directly, emotionally, and otherwise. So of course in a testing situation, whatever amount is biological, at least in the US you have a situation where the mother IS constantly thinking about the emotional concerns of those in her family while the father is pushed towards more impersonal combative/assertive behavior to get the necessary resources to bring home. The forced spheres of influence have to somehow make their way into these sorts of tests, although I would wonder if we have seen a diminuation of the T/F diverge as society becomes in some practical ways more egalitarian over the years.

 

[Salomé]

I agree. I don't understand why they used the terminology of having a predominantly male or female brain..

It's because the sex difference is clear. It seems that the female/empathic brain is the "default". If you are exposed to enough testosterone in the womb you will develop the male/systematizing brain instead. Too much, you'll be autistic. (so goes Baron-Cohen's theory). Testosterone also controls the length of the index finger, which is a useful pointer to brain-type.

What I don't understand is what use are women with male brains? and vice-versa? In evolutionary terms, that is.