Note 1: An Overview Of Male-Female Brain Differences
These brain differences make a baby girl more observant of faces while male babies get distracted easily and focus more on mechanical objects. A female seeks to understand facial expressions and keep eye contact. As a result her ability to recognize a persons attention towards her and what the attention is communicating (happiness/anger) comes to a girl before she can even talk intelligently. Her skills at observing others, knowing what their mother/social milieu is expressing are highly developed. Boys on the other hand are not so socially sensitive. They don't notice the nuance of a facial expression or tone of voice the way a girl can AND also they don't seek social acceptance in the same way that a girl would.
So it is understandable the girls become better at language while boys are better are spatial organization and mechanical stuff. This creates a social environment where women are mostly in a connected group of friends, follows the social convention of her group, is an expert at body language and often, verbal manipulation. For example a young boys may fight to dominate while a girl would use language and make the person think they are being selfish - both getting their way through different means.
What this all means is not that each sex is programmed with a specific brain function and is that way for life, it just means these are the advantages and disadvantages that each sex brings to the table. Brain plasticity is a theory that has developed around studies that show the brain adapts to its environment, growing new brain connections to learn a new skill and decreasing them if its not needed. In other words, your brain keeps changing throughout your life. The old belief that the brain stayed one way throughout your life has been disproved.
Women playing Tetris (an old computer game) over 10 weeks have improved spatial ability. To the point where it is a man is not practicing as much as the women, she can easily beat him at his natural "spatial organization" ability. Men too can develop a nuance for language, communication and understanding body language.
The old myth that women can't do math as good as men has also been diprovedn . Women use different parts of the brain to do math, but when they do the practice they build the nueral connections to be just as good as men
Men are seen as the more aggressive of the two. Often they are seen as the only aggressive sex. That is a misconception. Both male and female have aggressive circuits in their brains but apply it differently. Women focus on verbal consensus to get their way - maybe using the phrase, 'you are being selfish' rather than a physical punch. A male will seek to physically dominate as his sex and aggression centers are larger. It is conceivable that is women were "in charge" they would create a social structure of verbal and psychological manipulation as opposed to outright physical force. In today's age, more civilized times (for some people, in some segments of society) men use the art of persuasion to attain political of business power. This is a page right from a woman's book. In fact, it is no coincidence that women have become more politically active - the times allow their specific skills to be used to gain social influence.
Many women try to change their man, making him more like a woman. They want him to communicate more fully, with more emotion etc. But a man simply doesn't have the connections with the 'amygdala' of the brain, which women do. So emotional expression of the type women enjoy and are well developed in is not something that comes naturally to many men. It can be developed in time with the interest of the man involved. But if your focus is to change him you are leading yourself down a relationship you will hate in the long run.
On the other side, men can't understand why women want to talk 'so much' (It's their communication centers of their brains). Or why women demand constant attention. (i.e if a man seeks to reach the 'top of the pack' a woman wants to be the center of attention of the pack)
A little girl will perceive her parent not looking at her when she is talking as someone who is not 'listening' to her. Noticing facial expression and keeping eye-contact is very important to a woman. It shows you are listing and validates her value to you. If you are watching TV and she complains you are not listening, this is exactly what it means. A woman expects your body language to be directed to her to show you are paying attention. This is what she would do so it is what she expects you (her man) to do as well. She sees talking as an important social bonding experience and she will feel that her man must communicate with her as she does with her girl friends. A man simply doesn't have the size of communication centers in the brain as women do. It's simply not something they are naturally inclined towards.
A little boy will rush off to explore and jump onto a jungle Jim to go down the slide%u2026 while a little girl will look to her parent for approval. This is not because a girl is more insecure, it's because she is seeking social approval (in this case from her mothers facial expression that this is OK).
A woman always wants to be the center of attention and that will be one of the main activities she engages in. So if she is not already the center of her social circle, her actions and words will be measured to hopefully attain that position. Since her goal is to be the center of attention (on some level), her social groups conception of dating, relationships and sex is what she will perceive as the norm (no matter how abnormal they may be to the rest of culture and society). If she is in a group that has no respect for each other and give each other bad advice, then it is best for a man to move on as she is unlikely to change. To a woman her group of friends are almost always right. Her communication centers creates a strong bond within her little group. If her group has low self esteem and lack of self respect, she will overlook these qualities so she can fit in and hopefully become the center.
For relationships there is one very important lesson you can take from this.
It is that men and women ARE different. We have just begun learning more and more about how men and women really are and how they can attain better lives. Now more than ever, self-improvement has become necessary for both men and women in different ways. Whether the reason is to gain a competitive advantage at work in understanding systems or reading your competitors, keeping in mind that everyone has different skills in dating and relationships because of how they see the world (i.e. brain design) it is easier to be more understanding and compassionate for others. This helps you develop patience, understanding and makes life more fun.
Most of all, men and women have to STOP expecting the other to behave like them. A woman will talk a lot. A guy will often ignore it. A woman will want a great deal of romance. These are the natural inclinations of men and women. To try and change your mate is to try and change their very brain structures of what makes them men and women. You can acquire new skills and your brain will 'grow' to help you accomplish your goals. But you can't change its basic functions.
Even if a woman beats a man at spatial games or a man beats a woman in social effectiveness, the parts of the brain being used for the same or similar functions are different. So even when one sex is as good or better than the opposite sex at something that is their domain, different aspects of their brains will utilized to do these same tasks. Brain scanning done of males and females doing IQ tests, for example, have shown that even with similar scores on the same tests, girls use different areas of their brains to solves the same problems.
So men and women will always be different even with similar skill sets. Respect this difference, enjoy this difference and you can always develop healthy relationships.
Useful Links for Further Research
Male And Female Brain Patterns Differ During ReachingMen's and women's brains "fire" differently when they are planning how to reach for something, so rehabilitation after brain injuries such as strokes may need to be tailored to the sex of the person, says a new study.
Excerpt: 'The Female Brain' - ABC News
Excerpt: 'The Female Brain'Men Are From Mars -- Neuroscientists Find That Men And Women Respond Differently To StressFunctional magnetic resonance imaging of men and women under stress showed neuroscientists how their brains differed in response to stressful situations. In men, increased blood flow to the left orbitofrontal cortex suggested activation of the "fight or flight" response.
Who Says A Woman Can't Be Einstein? - TIMEYes, men's and women's brains are different. But new research upendsthe old myths about who's good at what.
They Just Can't Help ItWhat kind of brain do you have? There really are big differences between the male and female brain, says Simon Baron-Cohen. And they could help explain conditions such as autism Do you have a male or female brain?BBC NEWS | Health | 'Alcohol worse for female brains'Women are more vulnerable to alcoholic brain damage than men, scans show.
Male and female voices affect brain differentlyScientists at the University of Sheffield have explained the differences in the way the male brain interprets male and female voices, explaining why people who hallucinate and hear false voices al
Sex Differences Extend Into The BrainWhat was once speculation is now being confirmed by scientists: the brains of women and men are different in more ways than one. Discoveries by scientists over the past 10 years have elucidated biological sex differences in brain structure, chemistry and function.
Note 2: Types of Cultures - Summary of the 3 General Types
1. An egalitarian society (one where men and women are equal in rights).
2. A Patriarchy (Where men dominate), and
3. A Matriarchy (Where women dominate)
1 - When a culture or tribe is small. Such as in a fishing village or another such small community, tasks and responsibilities tend to get shared by all members of society. This leads to a social structure where men and women are basically equal.
This is a small hunter-gather group that depends on each other to survive and live in harmony with other tribes in a kind of large family system (i.e. the tribes are interconnected);
Because humans lived as hunter-gatherers for 95 percent of their species' history, current foraging societies provide the best window for viewing human social evolution, according to the authors. Given that, the researchers focused on co-residence patterns among more than 5,000 individuals from 32 present-day foraging societies around the globe, including the Gunwinggu, Labrador Inuit, Mbuti, Apache, Aka, Ache, Agta and Vedda.
A major point in the study is that foraging bands contain several individuals completely unconnected by kinship or marriage ties, yet include males with a vested interest in the offspring of daughters, sisters and wives.
"The increase in human network size over other primates may explain why humans evolved an emphasis on social learning that results in cultural transmission," said Hill. "Likewise, the unique composition of human ancestral groups promotes cooperation among large groups of non-kin, something extremely rare in nature."
The group's findings appear in the paper "Co-Residence Patterns in Hunter-Gatherer Societies Show Unique Human Social Structure." It is the first published analyses of adult co-residence patterns in hunter-gatherer societies based on census data rather than post-marital residence typologies, Hill noted.
2. When a culture become focused on hunting, especially when it reaches the totemic stage then the culture become dominated by men as men are the providers of the primary sustenance.
Imagine the above small hunter-gather groups have grown, made better weapons, hunt more and you get the social structure of the Apaches or Sioux or Cherokee.
In fact, there is a theory (very well backed) that suggests that the reason there are so many variations of the Zeus myth of abducting 'mortal' women and having children with them that this represented the possible invasion of a patriarchal tribe into a matriarchal zone. Each female abduction, a takeover of a new region.
Obviously the hunting tribes(patriarchies) are more battle hardened and would win in any drawn out war, if there was competition over land.
Saharia's theory on the origins of patriarchy is mostly about the remnants of a civilization in decline. So we have a people that are violent. In atmospheres where the ions are positive rather than negative (because of the lack of moisture) to which humans have a negative reaction... imagine millinia of generations in such an environment! It also explains why the Saudis have the largest water plants and use the most water of any country in the world.
Another theory for the switch the a patriarchal society is based on an ancient myth of a time, long ago, when women ruled. A bunch of men got fed up with their rule and formed secret clubs, conspiring to take over. One day they revolted and men have been in charge ever since. [Don't remember where that myth is, so will update this at some-point in the future. You can learn more by reading Joseph Campbell's "Primitive Mythology", "Occidental Mythology" and "Oriental Mythology"]
Currently, the trend is a movement towards an egalitarian society. Though there is always opposition to equal rights.
Note 3: Overview of Literature & GOP Politician Views on Women
Look at the overview of the GOP's war on women by MoveOn.org (mainstream US politics)...
Top 10 Shocking Attacks from the GOP's War on Women
1) Republicans not only want to reduce women's access to abortion care, they're actually trying to redefine rape. After a major backlash, they promised to stop. But they haven't yet. Shocker.
2) A state legislator in Georgia wants to change the legal term for victims of rape, stalking, and domestic violence to "accuser." But victims of other less gendered crimes, like burglary, would remain "victims."
3) In South Dakota, Republicans proposed a bill that couldmake it legal to murder a doctor who provides abortion care. (Yep, for real.)
4) Republicans want to cut nearly a billion dollars of food and other aid to low-income pregnant women, mothers, babies, and kids.
5) In Congress, Republicans have a bill that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life.
6) Maryland Republicans ended all county money for a low-income kids' preschool program. Why? No need, they said.Women should really be home with the kids, not out working.
7) And at the federal level, Republicans want to cut that same program, Head Start, by $1 billion. That means over 200,000 kids could lose their spots in preschool.
8) Two-thirds of the elderly poor are women, and Republicans are taking aim at them too. A spending bill would cut funding for employment services, meals, and housing for senior citizens.
9) Congress just voted for a Republican amendment to cut all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers, one of the most trusted providers of basic health care and family planning in our country.
10) And if that wasn't enough, Republicans are pushing toeliminate all funds for the only federal family planning program. (For humans. But Republican Dan Burton has a bill to provide contraception for wild horses. You can't make this stuff up).
Links:
The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape
Akin hasn’t changed Paul Ryan’s mind
Todd Akin, Paul Ryan, and Redefining Rape
Paul Ryan Cosponsored All the Most Extreme Anti-Abortion Bills
Paul Ryan’s rape reversal
This Is The 'Redefining Rape' Bill That Democrats Will Use To Tie Paul Ryan And Mitt Romney To Todd Akin
After Akin, GOP Makes Extreme Abortion Policy Official
Steve King echoes Akin
Todd Akin: The man who said too much
Standard GOP Politician view on women and rape (though they like to deny it, constantly):
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Moment Of Zen: Notice the "Definitions of marriage in Deuteronomy (An Old Testament Book)"...
GOP people... seem familiar? This is why:
From Mother Jones: "Under Ryan's pro-life bill, a rapist could go to court and prevent his victim from getting an abortion."
Related Culture & Society blog posts:
Paul Ryan's Record Looks Alot Like Todd Akins
Rick Santorum on abortion: A child conceived through rape should be accepted as a 'gift from God'
"God's Christian Warriors" With Scriptural Proofs
CNN Documentary: God's Christian Warriors (Nazi's are a white CHRISTIAN Movement)
Proven: GOP-Republicans Support Rapists & War (Includes Scriptural Proofs)
The source of the "legitimate rape" rumors which have become GOP party policy
Doctors debunk Rep. Todd Akin's comments on rape and pregnancy
Paul Ryan Defends His Abortion Record In The General Elections
Mitt Romney's Stance On Abortion Conflicts With the GOP Platform That Doesn't Exempt Rape
Arizona lawmakers declare that pregnancy begins two weeks before conception
The Invisible War (Military Rape) & The Violence Against Women Act
Mitt Romney On Abortions (For and Against!)
A GOP Woman Caught Lying Or She Thought USA Is India!
Daily Show Catches AC360 Catching Michele Bachmann Lying!
The original post on this topic was published by me here:
Rick Santorum, Paul Ryan, Todd Atkin Of "The Party Of Rape & War"
{New blog post from a scriptural & pop-psychology point of view}