Your brain is neither male nor female. Discuss. By Mark Morford

[madokie]

Bad news, bro. You have the same brain as a girl. Bad news, girlfriend. You have the same brain as a bro. Bad news, sexists, gender demagogues, binary enthusiast, homophobes and genderphobes and panicky religious demagogues of any sort whatsoever – when it comes to gender, the human brain is nowhere near the clear-cut, easily pigeonholed hunk of gray matter we thought it was. And it never was.

Can you deal? With the news that, according to new research involving a comprehensive analysis of 1,400 brain scans, there is simply no evidence to suggest that a human brain is predominantly male nor female, boy or girl, dog or cat, salt or pepper? True. But you probably sensed that already. Or rather, your brain did. The cool part of it, anyway.

What the brain actually is, scientists have concluded, is a “mash-up,” a “mosaic” of gender-ish features that defy easy categorization and upend beloved stereotypes, thereby making life, human sexuality and your infuriating arguments with your Catholic parents much more interesting and wry and impossible to pin down with any certainty whatsoever. You know, just like (androgynous, asexual, mash-up genius) God/dess intended.

This will not go down well. At least, not for the lesser educated, the devout chauvinists and religious zealots of the world, who will surely ignore, deny or decry this news with impassioned fervor (science being a liberal gay communist conspiracy, after all).

The rest: http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2015/12/02/your-brain-is-neither-male-nor-female/

[hobbit709]

1. But about 25% are moran brains.

[madokie]

2. Not much we can do about those brains though

I have a deal friend who is gay that I was raised with and I'm here to tell you he was born the way he is. It was not a decision he made and not a one of us treat him any different than if he was straight. We all love him like a brother

[treestar]

3. that'll upset the men who excuse their bad behavior

by claiming "we" are "hard wired" to behave that way.

[whatthehey]

7. But casts similar issues on claims of females being inherently more nurturing and multitasking

[cantbeserious]

4. Fundie Heads Will Explode Trying To Comprehend

Last edited Sat Dec 5, 2015, 05:42 PM - Edit history (1)

eom

[Kalidurga]

5. Good

This is in line with all the other studies that show there is more differences within the genders than there is between the genders.

[One_Life_To_Give]

6. Figures don't lie, but liars can figure

While there is so much overlap in the brains of people, individuals cannot be determined by the presence nor absence of any particular structure thus far identified in the brain. That is not the same as saying there are no differences. If nothing else the very idea that a two year old can be absolutely certain their body does not match their brain indicates it is more complicated than just sociological influence.

When we look at large groups of people patterns do emerge. Such as on average adult women will be several inches shorter than men. Which does not preclude Rebecca Lobo towering over Geno Auriemma or the average guy. And further if we are to combine multiple traits with a small probability of difference between genders the aggregate will be that much more likely to show a correlation. Said differently if we pick 10 area's of the brain which show slight differences between men and women. Then ask what is the gender of people who have atleast 8 of them all to the female or male probability. You will have markedly better correlation although statistically even a 10 out of 10 will have some on each side.

So yes there really are people who's brains and bodies do not match. And many/most all of us have brains that are neither exclusively one or the other but have a couple scattered pieces from the other side.

[Bradical79]

8. Marking for later reading, because Im confused

I think I need a primer on current scientific understanding of these issues, because I feel out of the loop :-P

[Rex]

9. We are all originally female, then the Y chromosome starts to fire up in some and we end up male.

So this news about the brain does not surprise me in the least bit.

[olddots]

10. science is critical thinking

the rulers don't want people to think about science ,math ,logic and civics .

[Marr]

11. How does one reconcile this 'truism' with transgendered people?

If we accept the idea that a biological female can actually be a man, then we're accepting the idea of a 'male brain'-- and vice versa.

This has always seemed to me like one of those points where dogma starts nipping it's own tail.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

12. I have always thought that there wasn't any difference

between male and female brains based on my own life experience. I've had more than one woman tell me that I think like a man (and I am a woman). I just don't know what that heck that means. This is good information because it supports the concept that males and females are not all that different from each other in their heads and it also explains the variety we see in human sexuality. I think there is a tendency for men and women to be certain way only because they are acting out learned gender roles taught by our culture, their church, their parents, etc because they think that is the way they need to be to fit in. I did learn that stuff too, but fitting in just was never a priority for me for some reason. I have always valued being my authentic self over conforming to fit in with a group, which means I will go it alone if I have to, but that is not what I prefer.

[yellowcanine]

13. Women don't have the part of the brain which is in a man's penis.

Just sayin.'