There are structural and neural processing differences between the brains of a man and a woman. The male brain has more gray matter (involved in processing), while the female brain has more white matter (involved in transmitting information).
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Did You Know?
Studies have shown that daily meditation has a positive impact on brain function and tends to reduce age-related decline of gray and white matter in the brain.
Not just physical attributes separate man from woman. Their brains too are not identical. They have unique characteristics. They differ in structure, function and ways of processing information.
Men and women use their brains differently, owing to the difference in amount of gray and white matter. The difference in male and female brains is discussed here.
Size
Male brains are about 10% larger than female brains, with an average volume of around 1260 cm3 for men and 1130 cm3 for women.
As far as weight is concerned, an average adult brain of men weighs around 1,345 g, while the weight of an average female brain is approximately 1,222 g. However, a larger brain does not necessarily indicate higher intelligence.
The brain's outer layer involved in processing information, is 6.5 to 7 times more abundant in male brains compared to female brains.
Gray Matter
The gray matter that contains the nerve cell bodies, deals with processing visual inputs and other sensory perception skills such as hearing. The motor neurons present in gray matter also help in the movement of muscles.
White Matter
Female brains tend to have 9.5 to 10 times greater white matter than male brains.
The white matter contains bundles of nerve fibers that carry information from one processing center to another. It essentially connects different gray matter regions within the brain. More white matter means greater brain connectivity.
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Thinking
A study suggests men may use more gray matter in their brains, while women may use more white matter, indicating potential gender differences in thinking patterns.
The male brain tends to favor localized processing, potentially making men more adept at mathematical and analytical tasks.
Neural Processing
No wonder, it is often said that men should be assigned the task of making and checking bills.
Female brain favors integrating and assimilating information; the processing is distributed and involves gathering data from various regions of the brain.
So, women tend to be better at languages. They may be better at handling social events. In maintaining relationships or arranging social gatherings, they use their superior language skills to advantage.
Language Processing
In women, Broca's and Wernicke's areas, key language processing centers, tend to be larger and have higher neuron density compared to men.
Moreover, MRI scans also showed that women use both left and right hemispheres to process language, whereas men only use the left hemisphere.
Memory
The hippocampus, responsible for memory, is usually larger in females, possibly contributing to their better memory skills.
When it comes to social skills and memory, the female brain appears to be more competent than the male brain.
Frontal brain injuries tend to be more damaging in females than males, as females have 84% of their gray matter in the frontal lobes compared to males, who have only 45%.
Head Injury
On the other hand, 86% of white matter lies in the frontal lobe of female brains.
A man's frontal lobe does not contain any white matter. This indicates that a head injury may lead to a greater decline of cognitive performance in women than in men.
Aggression
Male brains have a larger amygdala than female brains, which plays a crucial role in processing emotions like fear, anger, and pleasure, as well as in aggression.
This means men have an edge over women when it comes to being aggressive. That could be the reason why males tend to be better and more competent in physical battles than their female counterparts.
Despite differences in male and female brains, studies suggest these variances don't substantially affect cognitive processing. Both genders perform well across various cognitive assessments.