Why are men’s and women’s brains different? Science shows that this is largely due to the different sex hormones coursing through their systems. Females have estrogen and progesterone. Males have testosterone and androgen. In utero, male fetuses are bombarded with a testosterone surge that shapes their bodies and brains. Any disruptions on this surge will induce some feminine qualities on the fetus. The brain variances between the two genders brings on various physical expressions later on such as:
- Men are more likely to be diagnosed with autism while women have higher rates of mood disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.
- Men and women react differently to post traumatic stress disorders. For women, the symptoms tend to be self-blaming while for the men, their responses are expressed externally; to things and people around them.
- Formulation of medicines can be influenced by gender. A review by neurologist Georgia Hodes suggests that drugs that work successfully on male patients may not work as effectively on female patients.
- Women can better locate objects than men. Little wonder that women are the better planners.
- A 2017 neuroscience study by neurobiology and behaviour expert Larry Cahill showed that men were twice as likely as women to become alcoholics and drug abusers.
- Men are 40 per cent more likely than women to develop schizophrenia.
- Men are twice as likely as women to become alcoholic or drug-dependent, and 40 per cent more likely to develop schizophrenia.