In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m here to share some fantastic, fun, fabulous facts about the female brain. After all, isn’t it a woman’s mind that makes her so beautiful?
The female brain is uniquely hard wired from conception (or at the very least by 8 weeks post-conception) to CONNECT and COMMUNICATE. Yes, that’s right ladies, we thrive on conversation. Who knew? When we connect with others we get a rush of opiate-like make-us-feel-good brain chemicals. This is true for all of the girl stuff: talking on the phone, shopping and even going to the bathroom in groups.
When comparing men to women, women have 11% more neurons in the area of the brain that controls language and communication. No big surprise there. Men have a larger brain center for registering fear and triggering aggression. Men are 20 times more aggressive and have 2 ½ times the brain space devoted to sexual drive. Again, no big surprise. Right? And by the way, men and women have the SAME NUMBER of brain cells. We just think differently, Mars and Venus… get my drift?
When examining the development of the female brain, it’s clear that our journey to our own motherhood starts REALLY early. In the first three months after birth, a female baby will experience a 400% increase in her skill for mutual face gazing. As toddlers and young girls we are wired to promote social harmony; studies show that girls take turns 20 times more than boys. We are more likely to play dolls, house and other “practice” games for being a mom. As we grow, we refine the ability to read facial expression, interpret subtle emotional tones in voices and develop our “gut feelings.” I for one am thankful that God gave me these skills as a new mom… was that a wet diaper cry or a hunger cry?
Speaking of crying, did you know that women cry 4 times easier than men? This is thought to be a he-can’t-miss-this kind of signal to the men that WE ARE UPSET. I find it difficult to believe, but in studies, men only picked up the subtle signs of sadness on a women’s face 40% of the time. Yes, that means that 60% of the time his brain is NOT capable of telling his female is upset. I personally think that knowing this can take so much relationship pressure off; he wasn’t ignoring me… he is just clueless 60% of the time.
Please don’t think I’m bashing the men, because I’m not. Their brains are brilliantly wired for stuff that they do! But that’s another blog. This one is for the girls. Happy Mother’s Day ladies!
In Health,
Dr. Stephanie