Focus On Your Child

(From our April 2024 Issue)

Male versus Female Brain Differences: Is it True and Does it Matter?

By Dr. Danny Huerta

My wife and I have learned about our brain differences in real-time throughout our 25-year marriage. There have been laughs, frustrations, and misunderstandings at times. Our personalities are very different, and our brains have male–female differences. We have joked that she could have a t-shirt that reads, “Wash your hands.” The female brain is pretty attentive to this practice. My T-shirt would say, “Don’t worry about it.” Male brains tend to be more laid back about this. Again, these are general patterns and are not true for every single male or female brain.

So, what’s happening in our brains? Through our understanding of personality differences and male and female distinctions, some characteristic patterns of perception and processing emerge.

It is absurd that influential people try to sway the masses to believe there are no differences between males and females! Each person is incredibly complex and wonderfully unique. A recent Stanford study affirms that sex plays a key role in overall brain development.

According to research, the male brain tends to be…:

more sensitive to both wins and losses
more sensitive to rewards
more prone to addiction
ten percent larger than the female brain
optimized for motor skill development
better at visualizing and visuospatial skills
better at aiming
more reward-focused when looking at the body

Whereas the female brain tends to be…:

optimized for intuition
more empathetic
stronger in reading comprehension, writing ability, and fine motor coordination
stronger in verbal ability
more prone to anxiety and stress
faster at developing language and memory functions early in life
stronger at reading facial expressions

Our kids need to learn that being male or female is not about whether you line up to cultural standards. It is about their unique masculine or feminine design. You don’t need to change sexes to find yourself. Through the various life roles we fulfill, we each get a lifetime to continue discovering who we are designed to be. As a family, take some time to explore, enjoy, and celebrate the differences between the male and female brains. I’m sure there’ll be some laughs along the way!

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