Hormones contributing to the behaviors in males and females
There are some hormones in the human body which control their behavior. There are some of the hormones which are common to both males and females, and they bring about the same behavior (Brizendine 3), (Brizendine 2). Such hormones include; testosterone which brings about aggressiveness and high dominance. The estrogen hormone makes the men and women feel powerful and also aggressive. Vasopressin hormone makes both the males and females to feel stronger and aggressive. The progesterone hormone which is only in females makes them calm by suppressing the effects of estrogen. The dopamine in the males makes them be outgoing and be highly energized.
Development of the communication centers
In the development of the communication centers, there a testosterone surge and the unisex female brain is turned to a male brain through the killing of cells in found in the centers of communication and developing more of the cells in the aggression and sex centers. When there is surging of the testosterone, it gives forth the male brain which has fewer connections in the communication centers than in the females, and they tend to have more of the cells in the sex centers. In case the surge of the testosterone does not occur, there is the undisturbed growth of the female brain. The female brain sprouts more connections in emotion and communication centers
Difference between teen brain in females and males
During the teenage years of girls, their brains are usually reorganizing and sprouting the neuronal circuits which tend to do away with how they feel and act. The girls become more obsessed with their looks, and they try to be women. Their thoughts are to be sexually desirable, and they begin to compare themselves with their peers and also celebrities. This state of the brain is created by the surge of progesterone and estrogen hormones. In boys, in their teenage, the testosterone levels surge and their thoughts are masculinized. Their brains are stimulated to for the rapid growth of the male brain circuits, and his sex pursuit circuits are also triggered, and they become more sexually triggered than the girl’s brains. The boys also tend to be more sensitive on their peer’s putdowns due to the vasopressin hormone.
Comparison and Contrast Between the Ways Female and Male Perceive Love
According to Brizendine, the sexual pursuit or lust of the male brain is two and a half times larger than their female counterparts. The testosterone is produced 20 to 25 times more in teenage males compared to the teenage females which drives their lust higher. However, the male brain is similar to the female brain where both fall in love with same degree.
What makes the daddy and mommy brains different
In fathers to be, the testosterone levels go down, and the prolactin levels go up, and this is from research conducted at Harvard University. The men tend to responding to the airborne chemicals coming from the expectant mother’s skin. These hormones tend to prime the man for paternity. The hormonal shift in some men causes the ‘sympathetic pregnancy syndrome’ where they tend to be very concerned about the pregnancy. The daddy and mommy brains tend to be connected during pregnancy. During the last few days of the pregnancy, the levels of prolactin in father to tend to rise significantly whereas the testosterone levels go down. In the expectant mothers, the levels of the progesterone surges and hundred folds and their brains become sedated. The high progesterone and estrogen are to protect the mothers against stress hormones in the period of the pregnancy. The cortisol chemicals are also produced in large amounts by the placenta and the fetus making the mother’s brain to be filled with the chemicals. During the third trimester, the levels of the stress hormones are usually very high, but they do not lead to stress among the mothers. The reason for the high levels of the progesterone, estrogen and stress hormones is to make the woman feel secure.
Effects of genetics and hormones on the feeling brain
The expression of anger among men and women is different; the men tend to have a greater expression of anger and aggression. A part of the brain known as the amygdala is bigger in men than in women and therefore, it is easier for a man to get more angry and aggressive than in women where the amygdala is relatively smaller. The anger control center organ known as the prefrontal cortex is larger in women than in men. The amygdala in men also has many testosterone receptors to anger, and that’s why many men are short tempered when the testosterone levels surge after puberty. Women become more depressed and anxious than the men this is because women tend to produce more of the estrogen hormones than the men.
Summary on Sexual Orientation
In The Male Brain, the sexual orientation is related to the differences in the male brain. Differences between straight and gay males indicate that the brain of the gay male is similar to that of straight female. Sexual orientation is mostly determined by genetic influences. In The Female Brain, we learn that men are twice as likely to be homosexual than women. Sexual orientation among women is due to the brain wiring which occurs during fetal development. Life experiences among female also play a crucial role in determining their sexual orientations. The Gay/Lesbian Brain book does not exist since there are huge gaps on research of brain’s role in the sexual orientation. Furthermore, the gay male brain is similar to the straight female brain while the lesbian female brain is similar to the straight male brain (Brizendine 185).
Lessons and Discoveries from the Male and Female Brains
From the two Brizendine books, I discovered that the behavior of either male or female is related to the hormones released by the brain. The major discovery however, was to learn that the male and female brains are different which challenged my previous understanding of similar human brain in all male and female species. I also learnt that people do not become gay or lesbians by wish or life choices but through the orientation of their brains.
Symbolism of the Male Brain and Female Brain from the Book Cover
The cover page of The Male Brain shows a silver ribbon folded in a complex pattern to form an image of a brain. This symbolizes the complexity of the male brain. The cover page of The Female Brain shows a highly complex loop of an ethernet cable to form an image of a brain. The highly complex loop symbolize the complexity of the female brain, probably compared that of a male. The ethernet cable symbolize the verbal nature of female which allow them to network easily.
Understanding of the Differences in Behavior Between Women and Men
Through the book, I have learnt that women are more verbal than men which supports the talkative and bonding behavior of women when around other women. Women are also known to rant while angry, threatened or insulted especially by other women. On the other hand, men are less verbal and rarely show bonding or talkative behavior while around other men. Furthermore, most men tend to keep quit when angry, insulted or threatened.
- Brizendine, Louann. The Female Brain. 3rd ed., London, Bantam, 2009.
- Brizendine, Louann. The Male Brain. 3rd ed., London, Bantam, 2011,
