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 MALE 10% larger than the female brain (about 100 grams more brain tissue) More neurons in the cerebral cortex Larger Hypothalamus – helps regulate biological drives FEMALE More dendritic connections between cells than men Larger Corpus Callosum – greater use of both hemispheres for processing information

THE PHYSICAL BRAIN (Cont.) MALE Larger Inferior Parietal Lobule – an area of mental mathematical abilities (perceptions of time, speed, and mentally rotating 3D figures FEMALE Larger Amygdala (an area involved in regulating and controlling emotional reactions) Larger Limbic System (an area responsible for the generation of emotions)

THE PHYSICAL BRAIN (Cont.) The shape on the left is identical to which of the other three shapes? B A B C

HEMISPHERE PREFERENCE AND UTILIZATION MALE More likely to have left brain hemispherical preference Uses more of left hemisphere for understanding language FEMALE More 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 MALE Uses more of left hemisphere to direct emotions to specific uses FEMALE More in touch with their feelings Greater ability to bond with others and be empathetic Better at human relations

PROBLEMS MALE More 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 FEMALE More prone to developing Alzheimer’s Disease More 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.