In the book, The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, the author offers a great deal of insight concerning the female brain and our communication style. In a chapter of this novel called The Birth of the Female Brain, Brizendine states that the communication and emotional memory centers of the brain are larger in females then it is in males; allowing females to communicate and read emotional cues more easily (2006). Many scientists and doctors once beliefs that gender was shaped by culture however in the 1970s and 1980s there were discoveries that the brains of females and males develop differently in a young fetus (Brizendine, 2006). The reason for this difference is a surge of testosterone in the male brain that causes some of the communications centers to be destroyed (Brizendine, 2006).
This difference between males and females may explain some of the differences between the female and male communication style however there are always exceptions to this theory that is presented in the novel, The Female Brain. There are many other factors that affect a person’s ability to communicate with others and their willingness to do so. Such cultural influences include the expectations that are put onto both girls and boys when they are young. An example of this would be that as children girls are often encouraged to express their feelings while boys are taught to be strong. This could be only one of the cultural influences that cause there to be a difference in the communication styles of females and males.
The communication style differences between genders are complex and there are many different explanations and factors for these differences. In the novel The Female Brain, Dr. Louann Brizendine sought to explain the differences in the female and male brain. This is an extremely interesting area of discussion and one that will continue as it is something that interests many people and is a common question among the population: Why do some girls talk so much? Why doesn’t she just say what’s on her mind? Why is he the strong silent type? Maybe one day there will be more complete and thorough answers to these questions.
-By Alyssa Higginson
This is really interesting point.
ReplyDeleteTo understand why it is true that men generally arent as open and foward about their feelings as women. I havent ever thought about factors that could surround it, but life would definitely be easier if we understood why men build walls and why women burst right through them most of the time.
We are like 2 species of 1. Very interesting to think about. I guess it explains why we never completley get eachother though!
Mary Laird