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Home > Articles > Behavior Articles > The Male Brain, Explained
TheoryOfAvarice
Written By TheoryOfAvarice

The Male Brain, Explained

 
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Posted More than a year ago Views 1718 Comments 13 Category Behavior
This is from Happen Magazine! My one girl friend showed me the article that she found online, and I thought it would be perfect to share here! I do NOT take any credit for this; it was written by Laura Schaefer, and as I mentioned, published in Happen. She's the expert, not me!
I think it's great - it even gives a small explanation as to why men are more sexual than us women! I hope that if you do read it, you get something out of it.

--

Women have puzzled over it for years - why the heck do men do the things they do? Why do they profess their love for you one minute, then ignore you the next (say, when an Attila the Hun special turns up on TV)? Why can they not remember our birthdays? Let science explain some of these conundrums - and help you rev up your relationships!

BE PATIENT WITH HIS MEMORY
The hippocampus, where initial memories are formed, occupies a smaller percent of the male brain than the female brain. If on your first date he can't remember where you work, even though you told him all about it when you met, just remember that size matters… hippocampus size, that is. Don't take it personally. (Oh, and don't be surprised when, months down the line, he has no clue you've just changed your hair.)


DON'T EXPECT HIM TO GET HINTS
Have a crush on him? You may have to put it out there, because men aren't as skilled at women at reading subtle emotional cues. As Dr. Larry Cahill of the University of California at Irvine puts it, "We have been assuming that the ways in which emotions are organized in the brain are essentially similar in men and women," but they aren't. Parts of the limbic cortex, which is involved in emotional responses, are smaller in men than in women. Additionally, scientists at McMaster University have found that guys have a smaller density of neurons in areas of the temporal lobe that deal with language processing. That's why it's probably a good idea to tell him straight-up how you're feeling ("I'm kind of hurt that you forgot I hate sushi"). Expecting him to infer from your hints could leave both of you scratching your heads.


DON'T TAKE CONVERSATION LULLS PERSONALLY
Fact is, guys in general just aren't as verbally adept as women are. Large parts of the cortex - the brain's outer layer that does a big part of recognizing and using subtle language cues - are thinner in men than they are in women. A study led by Dr. Godfrey Pearlson of Johns Hopkins University has shown that two areas in the frontal and temporal lobes that play an important role in language processing are significantly smaller in men. Using MRIs, the Johns Hopkins scientists measured gray matter volumes in several brain regions in 17 females and 43 males. Women had 23 percent more volume than men in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and 13 percent more volume than men in the superior temporal cortex. "Women," explains Dr. Cahill, "excel in being able to come up with appropriate words, given cues." Men - not so much. Don't expect him to chatter with you on dates with the skill of a girlfriend, and don't assume he's not interested in you if he occasionally lets the conversation lapse. Think of it this way: He's simply basking in moments of quiet companionship.

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APPRECIATE HIS NATURALLY UPBEAT NATURE
Does he seem to be "up" most of the time? It's not your imagination: Male brains produce 52 percent more serotonin (the chemical that influences mood) than female brains, according to a study done at McGill University. And studies show that fewer men than women suffer from depression. Guys may also have an easier time rolling with life's big stresses. If he tells you he recently lost his golden lab or suffered a job loss and doesn't get all teary, it doesn't mean he's heartless; rather, he has healthy stores of serotonin.


DON'T EXPECT HIS TAKE ON YOUR RELATIONSHIP HISTORY TO MATCH YOURS
He may be incapable of seeing your shared past the way you do. Brain images have started to show that men and women use their brains in vastly different ways. For example, women use the left part of the amygdala - the part of the brain that creates emotional reactions to events - to put memories in order by emotional strength, meaning that something emotionally important to them (like a great first date a couple of months ago) will be ordered in front of what they ate for breakfast yesterday. Men, however, use the right part of the amygdala to put memories in order. Traditionally, the right hemisphere of the brain is associated with the central action of an event, while the left hemisphere is associated with finer details. Translation: You'll both remember your first date, but he might not remember the color of your sweater or the light rain that was falling that night. It doesn't mean he was checked out; it just means he's a guy.


REMEMBER, HIS BRAIN IS HIS LARGEST SEX ORGAN
In males of several species including humans, the preoptic area of the hypothalamus is greater in volume, in cross-sectional area and in the number of cells. In men, this area is more than two times larger than in women, and it contains twice as many cells. And what, say you, does this have to do with the horizontal mambo? Plenty. This area of the hypothalamus is in charge of mating behavior.

This small structure connects to the pituitary gland, which releases sex hormones. So if your boyfriend wants to get intimate all the time and you feel like Ms. Low Desire, remember: You're just experiencing normal, brain-based differences.

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Article Comments

 
daherbint I'm a little skeptical..how much of this is due to cultural patterns that in turn affect brain development? - More than a year ago
TheoryOfAvarice That's a great question, and unfortunately I don't have an answer for you. I'd like to say that Schaefer's research is a general finding among American men, and the only reason I'm making such an assumption is because she's a young journalist from NYC. But I could be wrong.

In my opinion? I don't think cultural patterns would influence some of these parts of the brain TOO largely to make any significant difference. - More than a year ago
DagoFlip To be honest, a lot of things they pointed out here have nothing to do with the male brain at all, but more so with HOW males are raised. Men ARE verbally adept as women are, but to men, talking is just a means of exchanging information. To a woman, usually it's a means of getting to know someone else. - More than a year ago
Euro-Raver I'm not saying this isn't completely relative, but using this an excuse for all of the above mentioned is hardly valid. Guys are just brought up to be more mellow about their feelings and how they express them than women. Like say we have 10% more "blablabla" in the "blabla" shouldn't that mean we remember your birthday at least once every 10 years?

I agree with the color of the sweatshirt on the first date though. Guys would remember how great the first date was but not fine details like that - More than a year ago
KERMlT One difference between men and women is communication. Men will try to say what they mean in as little words as possible. Women tend to pick be more selective in their words and sometimes it is beyond the vocabulary of the guy. Why try to remember a speech when she could just point and say the name of the company. This also explains why guys interrupt women more

I can remember the Vin number of my first car, I can remember the date of my friend's birthday but I can't even tell you what today is - More than a year ago
aelita Im no expert, but it sounds a bit generlising - 10 months ago
amberview Of course it is general, it is brain science though. - 10 months ago
confused_hannah I agree with dago it explains patterns not the male brain lol and I was all excited about this article.. - 7 months ago
Rikriel This strikes me as a little patronising, generalising and even a little sexist. Reading the "The Female Brain Explained" article only served to further my opinion. - 5 months ago
Standingpretty Wow this was great! If I ever have a problem with a guy again I'll just refer to this article! - 2 months ago
MarkVonLewis Whew, good to know I have a reason for my non-verbal cue blindness. Thought it was just that I'm ignorant of body language and subtle hints. I'm as subtle as a brick to the face. - A month ago
noricat "Of course it is general, it is brain science though."

...In a girls magazine.

Sorry to poopoo your article but point me to the peer reviewed eminent science journals with in depth studies on the differences between the male and female brain and I'll buy into it.

I noticed allot of mentioning of "smaller" and "thinner" to, which raised an alarm. Sounds like gossip mag dross to me.

FYI my memory is perfect, I still remember the most inane info a girl told me weeks ago. But then I like her. - 10 days ago
Snorkledorf I think it's cute. :) - 9 days ago
 
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