Women and Men – maybe not so different after all?

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Patti Clark

“Men are from Earth, women are from Earth. Deal with it.”

– George Carlin

Ok, so I have to admit it. I have learned so much from this recent argument with my husband. I guess I can even say that I appreciated the argument!

Yes absolutely men’s and women’s brains work differently.

There are fundamental variations between male and female brains that mean we communicate and respond to situations differently. In a relationship, these differences can unintentionally cause misunderstanding and conflict. It’s generally accepted now that women tend to be wired towards empathy, whereas men develop stronger interest in systems, or how things work and that impacts on how we speak and deal with people.

Neuropsychologist Dr Anne Moir, who featured in the video I posted about men and women being wired differently, believes that a better understanding of how we are wired differently will help us argue less. Well it certainly helped me move to a place of compassion. After doing research and having a better understanding of how our brains differ, I was able to soften toward Jeff and better understand where he was coming from.

It also helped incredibly having a wonderfully rich and fascinating discussion with my dear friends, Jan and Trev. They are both interested in neuroscience. Jan with her background in Psychosynthesis; and Trev with an eclectic background and a wide range of studies, both helped me untangle and look at this stuff in a new way.

But actually the experience that really catapulted me into understanding was a situation I had with my own sister. We had a disagreement about something, and she pointed out accurately that I went straight to my head about the situation, while she went to her heart, and emotionally she did not feel met. I felt judged by her (as Jeff had said that he felt judged by me) and my sister said she felt like we were in completely different places while trying to communicate (the same thing that I had said to Jeff.) It was fascinating, and yes, rather uncomfortable. I had to really back-pedal on so much that I had laid on Jeff! What an incredible learning experience.

I have several videos that I found educational and enlightening that I would like to share:

There is an educational one just describing an fMRI and how it works.

Then there is an intersting video from animal planet about male and female brains

There are also two interesting videos from talk shows, Jane and The View that feature the Neuroscientist Dr. Daniel Amen, where he describes fMRIs of men and women and points out the differences.

Maybe you’ll find all of these videos overload, too much information. But I found it incredibly helpful. And navigating relationships is tough in the best of times. I can use all the help I can get!

I’d love to hear what helps you navigate your relationship. And as always thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

Women, Men, Communication and Humor

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Patti Clark

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

– George Bernard Shaw

In my last entry, I closed the post with I’d love to hear what helps you communicate better and how you make your relationships work.

I had quite a few people email me, post me on Facebook, reply to blog post directly, and even stop me on the street to comment. And the overwhelming response was Humor! (Mind you all the responses were from women. Not sure exactly what that means . . .)

But if we accept that men and women are hard-wired differently, as cited in several recent articles, and if we accept that if we actually think differently, communicate differently and process differently, what can we do but keep a sense of humor as we wander through the minefield? That, and as my cousin Diana suggested, keep small stashes of M & Ms handy!

I want to close with a short video from the TV show, Friends – looking at communication style differences between men and women.

I’d love to hear how humor has helped your relationship survive . . . or not survive as the case may be. And as always thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

Are Men and Women Wired Differently?

Posted on May 5, 2013 by Patti Clark

“Sometimes I wonder if men and women really suit each other. Perhaps they should live next door and just visit now and then.”

– Katherine Hepburn

I just had the most delicious conversation with my dear friend Tam. She and I have been friends for over 30 years. When we talk, we go straight to heart level, which I value so much and crave so deeply. As a woman, this need for deep heart connection is so important to me. And this brings me to the essence of this post, yet another layer of stuff my husband and I are working through.

I won’t go into the full background of the latest turmoil, it’s more than a argument or disagreement – it feels like a deep mis-understanding of the sexes. Our communication feels like he’s trying to connect from the head and me from the heart, and I end up feeling like a bleeding mess in a puddle in the corner and he is trying to analize why and how it happened and what exactly was said to get there and what words can deal with it.

After talking to Tam and to my sister and a couple of other friends, I noticed once again, not surprisingly that men and women really communicate differently. So I decided to do some research, and I found that it’s not surprising that we communicate so differently because research shows that men’s brains don’t work the same way that women’s brains work. There is so much new research out there showing us beyond a shadow of a doubt that men and women are wired differently.

According to psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen, the female brain is wired to empathize and the male brain is characterized by its tendency to systemize. The male brain seeks to develop a set of logical rules that guide another person’s behavior. When a man can’t understand someone else’s behavior through logic, he tends to become confused about how to proceed. Women, on the other hand, may be more empathetic because their brains’ mirror neurons are more sensitive than men’s. Mirror neurons cause us to imitate emotions and actions that we’re exposed to. One theory is that women’s mirror neurons allow them to more easily hone in on another person’s emotional cues.

This quote just made so much sense to me! I get so frustrated because it feels like my husband is trying to understand me “logically” – and does not understand emotional cues. But if he’s not wired to do so, can I hold this against him? Ah there’s the rub. So I guess we just keep trying to find the common ground, and to work through this morass called relationship.

This video clip is a long one, well over an hour, but if you are interested in this subject, please do take the time to watch it, it offers some fascinating information on the brain differences between men and women.