We’ve always known that there were vital differences in the thought processes between men and women, but according to a new study, men and women really do think in completely different ways.  It isn’t just a myth!  The anatomy of the brain is the reason for this difference. 

The brain is made up of two kinds of tissue; white matter and gray matter.  Men’s mental processes are affected more by gray matter while women’s are affected more by white matter.  This difference in thinking, however, does NOT affect the level of intellectuality.  According to Psychology professor Richard Haier of the University of California, “These findings suggest that human evolution has created two different types of brains designed for equally intelligent behavior.”  Men have 6.5 times the amount of gray matter as women, while women have nearly 10 times the amount of white matter as men.  You may be wondering how this translates into human behavior and intellectual processes.  Gray matter represents the human brain’s information processing centers while white matter networks the processing centers.  This may help explain why men tend to do better with tasks that require more localized processing, such as mathematics, while women excel at integrating the information processed in the gray matter, aiding in the development of language skills.  Despite these differences and the wide variation in mental processes, it’s interesting that men and women perform equally well when it comes to general cognitive abilities, such as tests of intelligence.

This study also revealed that different types of brain injuries can have drastically different effects on men and women.  For example, 84% of gray matter and 86% of white matter in women is located in the frontal lobe.  Men only have 45% of their gray matter and none of their white matter in their frontal lobes.  Therefore, a frontal lobe injury would have a greater effect on women then on men. 

Men’s and women’s brains also respond differently under stress.  In one study, 16 men and 16 women were tested using a functional magnetic resonance imaging machine, or an fMRI.  To induce performance stress, the researchers asked the participants to count backwards in increments of 13 from 1,600.  After the tests, scientists found that men responded with an increased blood flow to the prefrontal cortex, the same area responsible for the “fight or flight” response.  Women had increased blood flow to the limbic system, the area responsible for a nurturing and caring response.  It was also found that the stress response in women was found to last longer after the initial incident. 

So it’s true.  Men and women are built differently.  It’s not just in our heads…or is it?