Men and Women's Brains are 'Wired Differently'

You know the saying that women are from Venus and men are from Mars? Well, Science has confirmed that. After scanning the brains of nearly 1,000 men and women, boys and girls, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that male and female brains are wired in completely different ways.

Male brains are wired front to back, with few connections bridging the two hemispheres.

In females, the connections criss-cross between left and right.

These differences might explain why men, in general, tend to be better at learning and performing a single task, like cycling or navigating, whereas women are more equipped for multitasking. The same volunteers were asked to perform a series of cognitive tests, and the results appeared to support this notion.

In the study, women scored well on attention, word and face memory, and social cognition, while men performed better on spatial processing and sensori-motor speed.

The study authors say it’s striking how complementary the brains of women and men really are.

They hope these brain maps will do more than help us better understand the differences between the sexes. They are looking for insight into neurological disorders, which are often gender related.