Since John Gray wrote Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus in 1992, it has been a commonly held belief that the brains of the two sexes worked differently somehow. Now, new research shows that Gray was not far off the mark.
The structure of men's and women's brains have, in the past, been thought to be basically the same, with differences in emotional responses explained by the actions of sex hormones and social pressures. Yet research published in
New Scientist magazine now suggests that the brains of men and women show marked anatomical and chemical differences, and appear to be constructed from somewhat different genetic blueprints. Scientists now believe that there are two distinct types of human brain, both of which have been developed for equally intelligent behaviour.
This new research may explain some of the assumptions about differences between men and women, such as the belief that men are more concerned with sex than their female counterparts. Research has in fact discovered that the area of the brain which controls emotions and social and sexual behaviour — the amygdala region — is larger in men.
Meanwhile, other myths, such as women having poor spatial awareness and map reading skills, have been debunked by this research, which has shown that the hippocampus, which is involved in short-term memory and spatial navigation, is proportionally larger in women than in men.
The frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision-making and problem-solving, is also proportionally larger in women than men. Also the area which regulates emotions was larger in women, reinforcing the stereotype that women are more emotional beings than men.
Importantly, this new research holds great potential in gaining an insight into different treatments for men and women in terms of pain relief and also why mental illness affects the sexes differently. This could lead to new painkillers being designed specifically for men and women for greater efficacy. It may also give scientists more leads into how to treat depression — which occurs far more widely in women than men — and other conditions such as autism and Tourette's syndrome.
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