Rediff.com« Back to articlePrint this article

10 things women should know about men's brains

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
There is much more than what meets the eye when it comes to men's brains

According to Live Science, here are the things you need to know about guys' minds.

Having a tough time understanding what's going on in your man's mind? Things might just get easier for you, as experts have revealed ten things you should know about a man's brain.

A man's brain varies tremendously over his lifetime. From his wandering eye to his desire to mate for life, there are some things every woman need to know about a man.

According to Live Science, here are the things you need to know about guys' minds.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

More emotional

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
Men can get emotional too

While females are generally considered the more emotional, infant boys are more emotionally reactive and expressive than infant girls, researchers have found.

Adult men have slightly stronger emotional reactions, too -- Adult mbut only before they are aware of their feelings, found a 2008 study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

More vulnerable to loneliness

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
Men are more vulnerable to loneliness than women

While loneliness can take a toll on everyone's health and brain, older men seem particularly vulnerable, said Louann Brizendine, of the University of California, San Francisco, and author of The Male Brain.

"Men tend to reach out less than women, which exacerbates loneliness and the toll it takes on their brains" social circuits, she said.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Focused on solutions

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
It isn't like men don't empathise. But their desire to solve the problem comes to the fore quickly

While many studies suggest that women are more empathetic than men, Brizendine stressed this is not entirely true. The empathy system of the male brain does respond when someone is stressed or expressing a problem. But the "fix-it" region quickly takes over.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Hard-wired to check out women

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
Checking out women is like breathing to men

While often linked to aggression and hostility, testosterone is also the hormone of the libido. And guys have six times the amount surging through their veins as women, said Pranjal Mehta, of the Columbia University in New York.

Mehta and colleagues found that testosterone impairs the impulse-control region of the brain. While it has yet to be studied, this may explain why, as Brizendine says, men ogle women as if on "auto-pilot."

They often forget about the woman once she is out of their visual field, said Brizendine.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Must defend turf

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
When their love life is under threat, men tend to get violent

"Part of the male job, evolutionarily speaking, is to defend turf," said Brizendine.

More research is needed in humans but in other male mammals, the "defend my turf" brain area is larger than their female counterparts," she said.

While women too have fits of possessiveness, men are much more likely to become violent when faced with a threat to their love life or territory, she said.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Embraces chain of command

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
Surprising as it may be, men like following a chain of command

An unstable hierarchy can cause men considerable anxiety, said Brizendine. But an established chain of command, such as that practiced by the military and many work places, reduces testosterone and curbs male aggression, she said.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Matures over time, really

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
It's true. Give men some time and they will mature

Pre-occupation with establishing pecking order, which starts as early as age 6, motivates the "male dance, where they are always putting each other down," added Brizendine.

"It is better to be aggressive in a verbal jab than to duke it out," she said.

Psychological studies have shown that one-upmanship holds less appeal for older men. Instead, they pay more attention to relationships and bettering the community, said Brizendine.

The change is likely aided by the slow natural decline in testosterone as a man ages.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Primed for fatherhood

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
Yep, men are primed for cooperation just before they become dads

The male brain becomes especially primed for cooperation in the months before becoming a father. Fathers-to-be go through hormone changes -- prolactin goes up, testosterone goes down -- which likely encourage paternal behavior, found a 2000 study in Evolution and Human Behaviour.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Daddy-play

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
Kids learn better when there are 'dad-speicific' ways of playing

Daddy-specific ways of playing with their kids -- more rough-housing, more spontaneity, more teasing -- can help kids learn better, be more confident, and prepare them for the real world, studies have shown. Also, involved dads lessen risky kids' sexual behaviour.

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Covets wedding bells, too

Last updated on: January 5, 2011 13:01 IST
Unbelievable but true -- men do look forward to getting married

Women want to settle down, and men want to sow their wild oats forever, the refrain usually goes. But this might be one of the largest misconceptions stemming from the U.S. tendency of using undergrads as test subjects.

Infidelities are most likely to occur before men hit 30, found a study of Bolivian men published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society in 2007. After that, men primarily focus on providing for their families, the study found.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Click on thumbs up if you've seen this in your man!

Source: ANI