Post by account_disabled on Mar 12, 2024 0:23:30 GMT -5
Who would say that in general they have more empathy, men or women ? Who do you think are more competitive? Who tends to find it easier to do several things at the same time? Who is more prone to promiscuity?
And, now, the really important question: if you have answered “men” or “women” to any of the previous questions, would you say that the differences are innate or that they are due to the education that boys and girls receive from childhood? ?
innate, you are not alone. Numerous studies have recorded anatomical differences between male and female brains . Based on these anatomical differences, attempts have been made to explain the differences in aptitudes and behaviors observed between men and women.
These types of studies have proliferated since the 90s thanks France Mobile Number List to functional magnetic resonance images, which allow us to see which regions of the brain are activated when a person performs a task. And they have fueled countless books and popular articles that, such as The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, translated into more than twenty languages, argue that the brains of men and women are indeed different, especially due to the effects of testosterone during development.
The problem is that studies on alleged brain differences between men and women are based on small samples, inconsistent methodologies and poor statistical analyses, according to Gina Rippon, a neuroscientist at Aston University in Birmingham, UK, in her new book, The Gendered Brain .
Take the example of research from the University of California, Irvine that concluded in 2005 that men have more gray matter and women more white matter in the brain. Ostentatiously titled The Neuroanatomy of General Intelligence: Sex Matters , the results of that study published in Neuroimage have been used to explain male talent for mathematics and female talent for multitasking.
However, Rippon recalls that the study was based on a sample of only 21 men and 27 women, that it did not compare the volume of the brains between the two groups and that, if the conclusions were true, the female brain should be 50% bigger than it really is.
Another example: research from Yale University concluded in 1995 that female and male brains process language differently . Although based on a sample of only 19 men and 19 women, the research was published in Nature and reinforced the preconception that gender influences language skills. Thirteen years later, a meta-analysis that reviewed all published data on the issue showed that the Yale researchers' conclusion was incorrect.
And promiscuity? The popular idea that men are programmed to have as many partners as possible, while women look for a stable partner who is committed to caring for children, derives from a study by British geneticist Angus Bateman carried out with… flies! The results of that study, published in 1948, were accepted for 65 years and fueled an abundant literature that perpetuated the idea of men as opportunistic copulators and women as guardians of the essences of the home.
When attempts were made to repeat Bateman's experiments in 2012 and 2013, the results obtained were different. And, when his original results were reviewed, it was discovered that he had only presented the data favorable to his conclusions and had discarded the contrary. A reanalysis of his data set revealed that, if he had done his research right, he would not have found a dichotomy between promiscuous males and faithful females.
This dichotomy does not occur either in flies or in people, where studies on sexual behavior reveal that both men and women can feel comfortable in monogamous relationships and that they can equally have sporadic relationships. But Bateman's thesis, which seemed to legitimize male infidelity and delegitimize female infidelity, had already taken shape, dressed in an aura of scientific respectability.
“The idea that men and women have different aptitudes and attitudes because their brains are different is erroneous and counterproductive,” warns Mara Dierssen, a neuroscientist at Pompeu Fabra University.
And, now, the really important question: if you have answered “men” or “women” to any of the previous questions, would you say that the differences are innate or that they are due to the education that boys and girls receive from childhood? ?
innate, you are not alone. Numerous studies have recorded anatomical differences between male and female brains . Based on these anatomical differences, attempts have been made to explain the differences in aptitudes and behaviors observed between men and women.
These types of studies have proliferated since the 90s thanks France Mobile Number List to functional magnetic resonance images, which allow us to see which regions of the brain are activated when a person performs a task. And they have fueled countless books and popular articles that, such as The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, translated into more than twenty languages, argue that the brains of men and women are indeed different, especially due to the effects of testosterone during development.
The problem is that studies on alleged brain differences between men and women are based on small samples, inconsistent methodologies and poor statistical analyses, according to Gina Rippon, a neuroscientist at Aston University in Birmingham, UK, in her new book, The Gendered Brain .
Take the example of research from the University of California, Irvine that concluded in 2005 that men have more gray matter and women more white matter in the brain. Ostentatiously titled The Neuroanatomy of General Intelligence: Sex Matters , the results of that study published in Neuroimage have been used to explain male talent for mathematics and female talent for multitasking.
However, Rippon recalls that the study was based on a sample of only 21 men and 27 women, that it did not compare the volume of the brains between the two groups and that, if the conclusions were true, the female brain should be 50% bigger than it really is.
Another example: research from Yale University concluded in 1995 that female and male brains process language differently . Although based on a sample of only 19 men and 19 women, the research was published in Nature and reinforced the preconception that gender influences language skills. Thirteen years later, a meta-analysis that reviewed all published data on the issue showed that the Yale researchers' conclusion was incorrect.
And promiscuity? The popular idea that men are programmed to have as many partners as possible, while women look for a stable partner who is committed to caring for children, derives from a study by British geneticist Angus Bateman carried out with… flies! The results of that study, published in 1948, were accepted for 65 years and fueled an abundant literature that perpetuated the idea of men as opportunistic copulators and women as guardians of the essences of the home.
When attempts were made to repeat Bateman's experiments in 2012 and 2013, the results obtained were different. And, when his original results were reviewed, it was discovered that he had only presented the data favorable to his conclusions and had discarded the contrary. A reanalysis of his data set revealed that, if he had done his research right, he would not have found a dichotomy between promiscuous males and faithful females.
This dichotomy does not occur either in flies or in people, where studies on sexual behavior reveal that both men and women can feel comfortable in monogamous relationships and that they can equally have sporadic relationships. But Bateman's thesis, which seemed to legitimize male infidelity and delegitimize female infidelity, had already taken shape, dressed in an aura of scientific respectability.
“The idea that men and women have different aptitudes and attitudes because their brains are different is erroneous and counterproductive,” warns Mara Dierssen, a neuroscientist at Pompeu Fabra University.