The Brain: Gender Identified
There is within the brain of both males and females, the Cingulate Gyrus, and it is located above the Corpus Callosum, which is the “bridge” between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. The Cingulate Gyrus is gender explicit in it’s effects. Specifically, it is that which enables a mother, who is not in a very good mood, to talk sweet, melodic baby talk to her infant, who is not mature enough to read facial cues or discern rational conversation. Babies do comprehend, perhaps limbically, this melodic verbality and communicate with their own melodic utterances. It has been noted during research, that even deaf babies will make these melodic tones.
It is the female limbic system which prepares and advances the social-emotional communication between mother and child.
Sharks and fish have a limbic system which produces their “schooling”, or grouping, as well as the head female of the group. However, they of course do not have highly evolved limbic systems and therefore do not have more emotional bonding with their offspring.
Israeli researchers recently studied developing fetus’ and found that females had a thicker Corpus Callosum. It is the Corpus Callosum which connects the two halves of the brain. Thus concluding that females have language ability on both sides of their brains.
In research using brain imaging technology, it was found that when being read to, men’s left hemisphere’s showed activity, while both sides of women’s brains showed activity. Which could explain how men can be listening and seem to be elsewhere.
During development, boys tend to be years ahead of girls when it comes to math and geometry, whereas girls are superior in language and fine motor skills. Males also tend to understand direction more profoundly than women, who often rely on landmarks when trying to find their way. Men tend to use east, west, north and south as indicators whereas women will use, “turn right”, or “on the left”.
Females have a higher interconnectivity (between cells as well between the left and right hemisphere), but males have more brain cells. Males tend to do better in spatial, mathematical aspects.
The male brain tends to weigh about 3 ounces more than the female brain.
There are differences in the male and female brain, however, those differences are not substantial, in structure and size. What researchers do seem to be sure of at this time, is that women are much better connected upstairs, while men have quantity. Cellularly speaking.
While there could be more to the left brain/authority, right brain/inuitive, there are male mathematicians who, when faced with difficult equations rely more on their intuition.
Clearly, the brain has identifiable mechanics and gender specific functions, but it is a vastly complex organ with a random of possibilities.
Sources: web.mit.edu www.webmd.com wisegeek.com www.cerebromente.org
