Between man and woman

Introduction

I want to clear the similarities and differences between a man and a woman. I think you guys always wanted to know about the differences and similarities. Here they are.




















Similarities


Cognitive variables. Including reading comprehension, perceptual speed, science, mental rotation, spatial visualization, attribution of success to effort.
Communication. Including assertive speech, self-disclosure to a stranger, smiling and understanding facial expression.
Social and personality variables. Including aggression under provocation, helping behaviour, sexuality, leadership, agreeableness and extraversion.
Psychological well-being. Including self-esteem, happiness, life satisfaction and coping.
Motor behaviours. Including throw velocity, sprinting and flexibility.
Miscellaneous. Including moral reasoning, cheating behaviour, computer use and job attribute preference.

Fully 78% of the differences between men and women are small or close to zero. There are three main areas of differences between men and women:

Sexuality - in particular attitudes to sex in uncommitted relationships.
Aggression - men are generally more aggressive.
Motor performance - this is where the largest differences are seen with men being better at throwing, jumping, sprinting and so on.

The bottom line is that if someone tells you men are more aggressive, have better motor performance or have different attitudes to sex than women, then you can believe them. If it's anything else, the differences between men and women are probably very small or non-existent.

Continued overinflated reports of differences between men and women are damaging to all of us:

If men and women are told they 'speak a different language', they may not bother trying to patch up their relationships.
If women continue to believe they are the 'nurturers', they may be penalised in the workplace. Similarly, men who believe they cannot be nurturant may be penalised in their family and relationships.


If girls believe they cannot achieve in maths, this affects their actualachievement. Similarly, if boys think they are poor at communicating or working together, this may be detrimental to them.

Ultimately men are not from Mars and women are not from Venus. We're both from Earth, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Differences

Top ten differences between a man and a woman.

Human relationships. Women tend to communicate more effectively than men, focusing on how to create a solution that works for the group, talking through issues, and utilizes non-verbal cues such as tone, emotion, and empathy whereas men tend to be more task-oriented, less talkative, and more isolated. Men have a more difficult time understanding emotions that are not explicitly verbalized, while women tend to intuit emotions and emotional cues.These differences explain why men and women sometimes have difficulty communicating and why men-to-men friendships look different from friendships among women.

Left brain vs. both hemispheres. Men tend to process better in the left hemisphere of the brain while women tend to process equally well between the two hemispheres. This difference explains why men are generally stronger with left-brain activities and approach problem-solving from a task-oriented perspective while women typically solve problems more creatively and are more aware of feelings while communicating.

Mathematical abilities. An area of the brain called the inferior-parietal lobule (IPL) is typically significantly larger in men, especially on the left side, than in women. This section of the brain is thought to control mental mathematical ability, and probably explains why men frequently perform higher in mathematical tasks than do women. Interestingly, this is the same area of Einstein’s brain that was discovered to be abnormally large. The IPL also processes sensory information, and the larger right side in women allows them to focus on, "specific stimuli, such as a baby crying in the night."

Reaction to stress. Men tend to have a "fight or flight" response to stress situations while women seem to approach these situations with a "tend and befriend" strategy. Psychologist Shelley E. Taylor coined the phrase "tend and befriend" after recognizing that during times of stress women take care of themselves and their children (tending) and form strong group bonds (befriending). The reason for these different reactions to stress is rooted in hormones. The hormone oxytocin is released during stress in everyone. However, estrogen tends to enhance oxytocin resulting in calming and nurturing feelings whereas testosterone, which men produce in high levels during stress, reduces the effects of oxytocin.

Language. Two sections of the brain responsible for language were found to be larger in women than in men, indicating one reason that women typically excel in language-based subjects and in language-associated thinking. Additionally, men typically only process language in their dominant hemisphere, whereas women process language in both hemispheres. This difference offers a bit of protection in case of a stroke. Women may be able to recover more fully from a stroke affecting the language areas in the brain while men may not have this same advantage.

Emotions. Women typically have a larger deep limbic system than men, which allows them to be more in touch with their feelings and better able to express them, which promotes bonding with others. Because of this ability to connect, more women serve as caregivers for children. The down side to this larger deep limbic system is that it also opens women up to depression, especially during times of hormonal shifts such as after childbirth or during a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Brain size. Typically, men’s brains are 11-12% bigger than women’s brains. This size difference has absolutely nothing to do with intelligence, but is explained by the difference in physical size between men and women. Men need more neurons to control their greater muscle mass and larger body size, thus generally have a larger brain.

Pain. Men and women perceive pain differently. In studies, women require more morphine than men to reach the same level of pain reduction. Women are also more likely to vocalize their pain and to seek treatment for their pain than are men. The area of the brain that is activated during pain is the amygdala, and researchers have discovered that in men, the right amygdala is activated and in women, the left amygdala is activated. The right amygdala has more connections with areas of the brain that control external functions while the right amygdala has more connections with internal functions. This difference probably explains why women perceive pain more intensely than do men.

Spatial ability. Men typically have stronger spatial abilities, or being able to mentally represent a shape and its dynamics, whereas women typically struggle in this area. Medical experts have discovered that women have a thicker parietal region of the brain, which hinders the ability to mentally rotate objects–an aspect of spatial ability. Research has shown this ability in babies as young as 5 months old, negating any ideas that these abilities were strengthened by environmental influences.

Susceptibility to disorders. Because of the way men and women use the two hemispheres of the brain differently, there are some disorders that men and women are susceptible to in different ways. Men are more apt to have dyslexia or other language problems. If women have dyslexia, they are more likely to compensate for it. Women, on the other hand, are more susceptible to mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. While handedness is not a disorder, these brain tendencies also explain why more men are left-handed than are women. Men are also more likely to be diagnosed with autism, ADHD, and Tourette’s Syndrome.

Other differences are

MEN	WOMEN
Women understand colour. They seem to know what to wear all the time. Men just think red is nice, pink is nice, so why not have them together? Jeremy Vine	Women have the Oh dear, the toilet paper is on its last sheet; must replace it immediately gene. This is entirely absent in men who have the Oh s..t! Can you pass me a toilet roll, love? gene! Jenni Murray
Men have no opinions about curtains. Stuart Maconie	On being told that someone has bought a new car women usually ask what colour it is - men ask what sort is it. Anna Ford
Women have the If you need to be told I am not going to tell you gene David Bergin, Switzerland	Women know instinctively what is dangerous or not recommended for babies in their care. Men, generally speaking, do not. Sian Lindsey, Netherlands
Men like to have all their stuff (DVDs, CDs, etc) on show to impress their mates. Women like to hide things in cupboards. Mark Nelson, UK	Women have a built in calendar gene - we remember birthdays, anniversaries and appointments effortlessly. Linsday, UK
Ask a woman in the street how to get somewhere and she will direct via shops. Ask a man and it will be via pubs. Fred, UK	Women put things on the bottom stair to take up next time she has to go upstairs. Men just step over them until told to pick them up Karen Kelsey, UK
Men appreciate the importance of a 42 inch plasma screen. Women do not. Jonathan, UK	A multi-tasking gene is clearly only owned by women - men can never prepare dinner so that everything is ready at the same time. Kelly , UK
Women can use sex to get what they want. Men cannot, as sex is what they want. Eoin Dempsey, Ireland	Women pick up on subtleties and then think about them. Men need things explained IN CAPITAL LETTERS before the message gets through. Morag, Edinburgh
Men speak in sentences. Women speak in paragraphs. Steve Munoz, US	At weddings, women cry then get drunk. Men get drunk, then cry. Debby, UK
For men, 2am is time for sleep. For women, 2am is time for a discussion about where our relationship is going. Luke, UK	When faced with flat-pack furniture, men never read the manual. Yet they spend hours reading manuals for cars or bikes they will never own. Linda, UK
Men can store useless information. Like the top speed of a car they are never going to drive, let alone own. Rob, UK	Men can balance an infinite amount of rubbish in the bin, without noticing it is full. Yvonne Eccles, England
Only women can understand other women. Jon Lipscombe	Women know when all you want is a glass of wine, nodding sympathy and a good whinge. Men offer a solution. Wendy, UK
Woman have the diary gene. (And no, they do not make your bums look big). Ben Appleby, UK	Women are missing the parking a car in between two straight white lines in an empty car park gene Jane, UK
If you told a woman that you had just returned from a trip to the surface of the Moon, she would show her interest by asking who you had gone with. Howard, UK	Men do not even bother to look for something, then ask where it is and hope that it was the woman who put it away Kate , Isle of Man
When men want something they ask for it. When women want something they make a point distantly related to the subject and wait for a response. David Lawson, England	Women have an ability to make men think they are in charge. Sheila, UK
Men need a round of applause for emptying the dishwasher. Women think E on the petrol gauge means enough. Peter Richmond, Canada	Men use I or me when they should use we or us. Women use we or us when they should use I or me. Clair, England
Men have a gene which makes them blissfully unaware of impending emotional outbursts, but which sometimes backfires resulting in the registering of physical pain. Gary, UK	Women have the we must name our car gene. Louise, UK
Men refuse to pay more than £5.00 for a hair cut as it is not that important. Mark Tomlinson	Men have the capacity to sleep through most sounds, whether it is a baby crying, dog barking, or doorbell ringing. Val Soanes
Men know that common house spiders are far less dangerous than scorpions. John S, UK	Women drive on the stretch of road they can see. Men move through the landscape by car. Anne Taylor, UK
Women enjoy planning a wedding. Tom Howes, UK	Men have an anorak gene, which triggers a lecture on thermo dynamics when asked a simple question requiring a yes or no answer Deborah, England
Women eat curry if they like it. Men eat curry to prove they can. Paul Angel, England	Men manage to sit in public places with their legs wide open without noticing how startlingly unattractive it is and how they get in the way. Jane Penrose, UK
Women could never invent weapons that kill, only ones that make you feel really bad and guilty until you surrender Dan, UK	Women are the only ones with the noticing gene - we notice when something is dirty/nearly empty/out of place and then we bring into play the doing something about it now gene! Sarah Wilson, UK
Men can watch an entire film without having to ask who is that, what does he do? Alistair, UK	Women know what to do when someone starts to cry. Men tend to shuffle out of the room mumbling something about doing the grouting. Lucy, UK
Girls cannot climb trees. Furthermore, they cannot be in my gang. Dominic Green, UK	Men will do something and not think about the risks involved then be sorry after. Women will think about the risks involved before hand. Diane McKay, England
A man can choose and buy a pair of shoes in 90 seconds over the internet. Paul, UK	Men have the ability to make a la, la, la, not listening face. Laura Humphreys, England
Women pee together. Men do not acknowledge, let alone speak, to each other when peeing. Angus, London	Men have the shed gene, where being locked up in a small wooden structure in quiet contemplation with a collection of garden equipment counts as stimulating entertainment. Lorraine, UK
Men can drive without having to look at themselves in the mirror. Christian Paterson, France	Men have a gene which enables them to answer any question, no matter how complex or important, with Mmm. Rachel, UK
Women make lists upon lists of things for men to do when they know very well we will never do them. Brian Mac, US	Women do not get turned on at the thought of two men together. Donna, South Africa
Men CAN get a bus through there! Bob Ellis,England	Men can watch six different channels at the same time and know the name of none of the programmes they claim to be following Niamh Brown, Singapore
Men can write their names clearly in the snow. Riccardo, UK	Women can smell old trainers at 100ft, men have to hold them to their nose. Sally, UK
Men start a sentence and... Cliff Grover, UK	....women finish it for them Jane Grover, UK
Men enjoy publicising their faults on BBC websites; women enjoy publicising men's faults on BBC websites. Paul, UK	Men have the empathy with computers gene. This means they are more likely to be found fiddling about with one rather than doing something useful. Sarah Savill, England
Men are paid more for doing the same job. :-) Nigel Harris, UK	Women have the take things personally gene. Emma, UK
Women keep carrier bags hidden away in a cupboard. They even keep carrier bags within carrier bags.! Matt, UK	Women parallel process, men parallel park. Petal, UK
Men look at going down the gym as a physical activity, to women it is a social event. Robert, UK	A woman would look at a sexy man and not be noticed. Men just stare. Isabelle West, UK
Women think that a good place to keep the TV controller is on top of the TV. Christopher, UK	Men have a gene that enables them to maintain a vice like grip on the remote control while reclining on the sofa studying the insides of their eyelids. Jane, UK
Women can get by with 10 or 20 CDs. Men need 200 plus. Damien Bove, Leeds	Women know that washing machines have programmes for every kind of fabric, colour and quantity and use them appropriately. Men will put a months supply of laundry through the 40 degree cycle (safest guess), regardless of any other detail. Janine MacLean, UK
Women order rice and eat men's chips. Liam, Wales	Men will hear you open a beer from three rooms away. Aileen, Scotland
Women recall every outfit they have worn for the past two decades. Men cannot remember what they were wearing yesterday without looking on the floor next to the bed. Tom, London, UK	If a man knows an acquaintance has given birth to a baby, he will remember the sex and name - if you are lucky. If a woman is told about a birth, she will remember names (first and middle), weight, time, how long the labour took and whether medical intervention was required. Marcia, UK
Women have the ability to brain dump their entire day when they get home - men can only remember that it went OK Bob Findlay, Ireland	Men cannot watch sports and talk to their wives at the same time. Lisa, Canada