Man Brain?

Anything to do with gender and the status of women and men.

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yeuyoga
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Man Brain?

Post by yeuyoga »

I know this woman, slightly below fifty years or so, personal Christian, studied theology and law, as we chat, this woman, which is another one who insists on my intelligence (I later took an intelligence test and came out only barely above average) was telling me about her youth referring to her early deeper interests into economics in the form of stock marketing radio listening in primary school, throughout her talk (she is member of "Mensa", Norwegian organization fronting the causes of "intelligent" people as well as offering professional IQ-tests) she referred to this thing she called her "male brain", as she seems to insist that the way her brain works is typically "male" and not feminine. My question is simple: what makes a brain "masculine" and not "feminine" apart from the obvious gender dichotomies like "my penis!", women don't think that as they have no penis, and apart from the endocrinology also, that is, apart from pure differing of substance regulatory systems, like saying "men have more of x-substance and women more y-substance".

What does mathematical inclination make you "masculine" in your brain? Does it have to? Or is this just a tendency which may be more prevalent in males but not significantly so?
Gary Childress
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by Gary Childress »

yeuyoga wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:42 am I know this woman, slightly below fifty years or so, personal Christian, studied theology and law, as we chat, this woman, which is another one who insists on my intelligence (I later took an intelligence test and came out only barely above average) was telling me about her youth referring to her early deeper interests into economics in the form of stock marketing radio listening in primary school, throughout her talk (she is member of "Mensa", Norwegian organization fronting the causes of "intelligent" people as well as offering professional IQ-tests) she referred to this thing she called her "male brain", as she seems to insist that the way her brain works is typically "male" and not feminine. My question is simple: what makes a brain "masculine" and not "feminine" apart from the obvious gender dichotomies like "my penis!", women don't think that as they have no penis, and apart from the endocrinology also, that is, apart from pure differing of substance regulatory systems, like saying "men have more of x-substance and women more y-substance".

What does mathematical inclination make you "masculine" in your brain? Does it have to? Or is this just a tendency which may be more prevalent in males but not significantly so?
These are really good questions. Does a "male" brain take pleasure in knitting or painting fingernails? I suppose it very well could if we lived in a society where males normally knitted or painted their fingernails. When I was very young my mother taught me how to crochet. I remember liking it and doing very well at it until my father came home and got mad because he wanted me to fit in with the other boys. I think it also raises the question, just because a man wants to paint his nails or knit, or even is attracted to other men, is it a good idea to have a surgical or medical sex change? What if society simply accepted that some males just like to knit or crochet or love other men and can lead normal lives, even eventually settling down with a female mate? Or even lead a happy life as a male who isn't attracted to women and likes to knit or crochet but doesn't have a sex change operation performed.
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FlashDangerpants
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by FlashDangerpants »

yeuyoga wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:42 am I know this woman, slightly below fifty years or so, personal Christian, studied theology and law, as we chat, this woman, which is another one who insists on my intelligence (I later took an intelligence test and came out only barely above average) was telling me about her youth referring to her early deeper interests into economics in the form of stock marketing radio listening in primary school, throughout her talk (she is member of "Mensa", Norwegian organization fronting the causes of "intelligent" people as well as offering professional IQ-tests) she referred to this thing she called her "male brain", as she seems to insist that the way her brain works is typically "male" and not feminine. My question is simple: what makes a brain "masculine" and not "feminine" apart from the obvious gender dichotomies like "my penis!", women don't think that as they have no penis, and apart from the endocrinology also, that is, apart from pure differing of substance regulatory systems, like saying "men have more of x-substance and women more y-substance".

What does mathematical inclination make you "masculine" in your brain? Does it have to? Or is this just a tendency which may be more prevalent in males but not significantly so?
There's a theory about the casues of autism called the 'extreme mail brain' so it's vaguely possible there was a subtext you didn't pick up on. Alternatively she probably just grew up a couple of decades before you were born and in a more conservative society with more fixed assumptions about gender roles. Just as Gary apparently did, which might explain his pointless segue into yet another reactionary discsussion about trannies.
Gary Childress
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by Gary Childress »

FlashDangerpants wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 4:37 pm
yeuyoga wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:42 am I know this woman, slightly below fifty years or so, personal Christian, studied theology and law, as we chat, this woman, which is another one who insists on my intelligence (I later took an intelligence test and came out only barely above average) was telling me about her youth referring to her early deeper interests into economics in the form of stock marketing radio listening in primary school, throughout her talk (she is member of "Mensa", Norwegian organization fronting the causes of "intelligent" people as well as offering professional IQ-tests) she referred to this thing she called her "male brain", as she seems to insist that the way her brain works is typically "male" and not feminine. My question is simple: what makes a brain "masculine" and not "feminine" apart from the obvious gender dichotomies like "my penis!", women don't think that as they have no penis, and apart from the endocrinology also, that is, apart from pure differing of substance regulatory systems, like saying "men have more of x-substance and women more y-substance".

What does mathematical inclination make you "masculine" in your brain? Does it have to? Or is this just a tendency which may be more prevalent in males but not significantly so?
There's a theory about the casues of autism called the 'extreme mail brain' so it's vaguely possible there was a subtext you didn't pick up on. Alternatively she probably just grew up a couple of decades before you were born and in a more conservative society with more fixed assumptions about gender roles. Just as Gary apparently did, which might explain his pointless segue into yet another reactionary discsussion about trannies.
I don't see it as a "pointless segue." It seems very much related to the OP to me. The OP talks about men and women having brains of the opposite gender. Doesn't that relate to the issue of sex changes and things that have been brought up recently on the forum? I would imagine the OP probably posted this as a segue to that discussion. BTW, I thought "tranny" was kind of a pejorative word for transsexual.
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Immanuel Can
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by Immanuel Can »

yeuyoga wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:42 am What does mathematical inclination make you "masculine" in your brain? Does it have to? Or is this just a tendency which may be more prevalent in males but not significantly so?
There's lots of research on this.

One finding, apparently, has been that the bell curve for male intelligence sits both lower and higher than the female bell curve for intelligence. See, for one of many possible examples, https://qz.com/441905/men-are-both-dumb ... han-women/ As the article puts it, you'll find more "dumb" men than "dumb" women, and more male geniuses than female geniuses. (Objectors claim that the variance on the high end can be written off to social prejudice; but that objection is less plausible when they don't accept the same reasoning for the existence of variance on the low end.)

Bell curves, of course, provide a description of averages across large populations, not a description of potential of individuals.

Two overwhelming points are worthy of note, however. Firstly, we cannot miss the point that far more overlap between men and women exists than difference. But secondly, where there is a difference, then yes, men seem to range both higher and lower than women on average. Averages, however, do not tell us anything about particular individuals.

So where you should score, or whether you are more "mathematical" or less, will not depend on such charts. It will depend on your own personal qualities.
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vegetariantaxidermy
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by vegetariantaxidermy »

A 'male brain' is a brain that a male has. That woman is talking rubbish.
Dubious
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by Dubious »

There are far greater differences between individual brains than there are between male and female brains. In a way, much of the data is missing since females were usually relegated to an inferior status in Patriarchal societies. As someone once said - forgot who it was - but only half the human brain power available was creatively employed. Had there been no such inferiority imposed, history would undoubtedly have manifested much more talent than that derived mostly, almost exclusively, from the male.
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vegetariantaxidermy
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by vegetariantaxidermy »

Dubious wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:18 am There are far greater differences between individual brains than there are between male and female brains. In a way, much of the data is missing since females were usually relegated to an inferior status in Patriarchal societies. As someone once said - forgot who it was - but only half the human brain power available was creatively employed. Had there been no such inferiority imposed, history would undoubtedly have manifested much more talent than that derived mostly, almost exclusively, from the male.
Any evidence to back that up?
jayjacobus
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by jayjacobus »

yeuyoga wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 9:42 am I know this woman, slightly below fifty years or so, personal Christian, studied theology and law, as we chat, this woman, which is another one who insists on my intelligence (I later took an intelligence test and came out only barely above average) was telling me about her youth referring to her early deeper interests into economics in the form of stock marketing radio listening in primary school, throughout her talk (she is member of "Mensa", Norwegian organization fronting the causes of "intelligent" people as well as offering professional IQ-tests) she referred to this thing she called her "male brain", as she seems to insist that the way her brain works is typically "male" and not feminine. My question is simple: what makes a brain "masculine" and not "feminine" apart from the obvious gender dichotomies like "my penis!", women don't think that as they have no penis, and apart from the endocrinology also, that is, apart from pure differing of substance regulatory systems, like saying "men have more of x-substance and women more y-substance".

What does mathematical inclination make you "masculine" in your brain? Does it have to? Or is this just a tendency which may be more prevalent in males but not significantly so?
Everyone has male and female tendencies.

The feminine side provides a person with passions, ureges and desires.

The male side provides a person with plans, actions and achievements.

In successful people the feminine side and the masculine side are cohesive with the masculine side following the feminine side or the feminine side following the masculine side. They are in balance when the person is successful and at odds when a person is not.

You are in balance when the feminine leads and the masculine follows or th masculine leads and the feminine follows but, if one side always leads, the other side will rebel.
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Terrapin Station
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by Terrapin Station »

I would say that anyone who believes that there are "male" versus "female" brains/mental tendencies probably doesn't actually have that high of an IQ. Or at least, it would underscore problems with IQ testing if a test says they have a high IQ and they have beliefs like that.
jayjacobus
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by jayjacobus »

Terrapin Station wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:21 pm I would say that anyone who believes that there are "male" versus "female" brains/mental tendencies probably doesn't actually have that high of an IQ. Or at least, it would underscore problems with IQ testing if a test says they have a high IQ and they have beliefs like that.
If you have nothing to say, you can be insulting but that's just stupid.

Being a jerk is a lifestyle. Jerks are not distinguishable by what they claim to believe but by how they strut it.
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Terrapin Station
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by Terrapin Station »

jayjacobus wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:59 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:21 pm I would say that anyone who believes that there are "male" versus "female" brains/mental tendencies probably doesn't actually have that high of an IQ. Or at least, it would underscore problems with IQ testing if a test says they have a high IQ and they have beliefs like that.
If you have nothing to say, you can be insulting but that's just stupid.

Being a jerk is a lifestyle. Jerks are not distinguishable by what they claim to believe but by how they strut it.
It wasn't meant to be "insulting." The idea of male vs female brains is ridiculous.
jayjacobus
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by jayjacobus »

Terrapin Station wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:35 am
jayjacobus wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:59 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 2:21 pm I would say that anyone who believes that there are "male" versus "female" brains/mental tendencies probably doesn't actually have that high of an IQ. Or at least, it would underscore problems with IQ testing if a test says they have a high IQ and they have beliefs like that.
If you have nothing to say, you can be insulting but that's just stupid.

Being a jerk is a lifestyle. Jerks are not distinguishable by what they claim to believe but by how they strut it.
It wasn't meant to be "insulting." The idea of male vs female brains is ridiculous.
Thinking that women's bodies are the same as men's bodies is stupid as anyone but you can see.

If you disagree, when will you stop menstruating.
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Terrapin Station
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by Terrapin Station »

jayjacobus wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:12 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:35 am
jayjacobus wrote: Wed Jul 28, 2021 8:59 pm

If you have nothing to say, you can be insulting but that's just stupid.

Being a jerk is a lifestyle. Jerks are not distinguishable by what they claim to believe but by how they strut it.
It wasn't meant to be "insulting." The idea of male vs female brains is ridiculous.
Thinking that women's bodies are the same as men's bodies is stupid as anyone but you can see.

If you disagree, when will you stop menstruating.
Well, it certainly isn't stupid to conflate genitalia and reproductive organs with brains. Are you going to talk about men's versus women's lungs now because genitalia aren't the same?
jayjacobus
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Re: Man Brain?

Post by jayjacobus »

Terrapin Station wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:49 pm
jayjacobus wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:12 pm
Terrapin Station wrote: Thu Jul 29, 2021 12:35 am

It wasn't meant to be "insulting." The idea of male vs female brains is ridiculous.
Thinking that women's bodies are the same as men's bodies is stupid as anyone but you can see.

If you disagree, when will you stop menstruating.
Well, it certainly isn't stupid to conflate genitalia and reproductive organs with brains. Are you going to talk about men's versus women's lungs now because genitalia aren't the same?
The brain regulates menstruation. The lungs do not.

Were you asleep in biology class?
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