Media and Health Psychologist, Media Expert,
Award-Winning Author, Professional Speaker

The Differences in the Male and Female Brain: Why do we do what we do?

The good news is that the male and female brains are more alike than different.  There are things, obviously, that are not the same that make us so much more interesting! Let's take a look at the major questions that women and men often ask about each other.

Q: Why do men and women give directions differently?

A: Men give directions with directions and distance using words such as North, South, East and West or 500 hundred yards down the road, while women often tell you to go past the church with the blue awning before turning. Men's memory centers are more based on navigation and detail information and women's more on feeling. There is no good explanation why men don't ask for directions related to the brain. That is another matter.

Q: Who has a better memory, men or women?

A: Early in life, the memory centers of women are larger, but later in life it is the men's memory centers that are larger.  For this reason, women are more susceptible to dementia.

Q: Can women multi-task better?

A: Yes, the brain tissue that connects the right and left brain is more active in women and allows them to send more information back and forth. Men work in a more sequential and compartmentalized manner, starting and finishing one thing at a time.  Studies have shown that men can improve their ability to multi-task through meditation and breathing exercises. For more information on learning these techniques, click here.

Q: Do differences occur from birth. 

A: Yes, some do; for example, in newborns, boys prefer to see objects in motion while girls prefer faces. Later in life girls may be more social, while men may prefer to  watch races.

Q:  Why do women talk more than men?

A:  Women use more parts of their brain (again, multitasking) than men, and see the emotions, the situation and the big picture, while men compartmentalize and get right to the point of the situation.

There is so much more to learn about the differences in gender!  To contact Dr. Nancy, click here.

Back to Articles Main

Articles by Category

• Radio, TV and Publications
• Health
• Relationships
• Mind, Body, Spirit
• Spiritual Fitness
• Education and Business
• Media Appearances