The Female Brain (interesting science article)

note: these types of scientific digests need to be seen in their context, i.e. as interesting empirical observations, that don’t include the possibility of any subtle energetic or soul forces at work, that might control the biological-chemical functions of the brain. But bsically I think it supports the thesis that we are all living in a self-created virtual reality governed by larger principles of the life force, but a reality that as we evolve becomes more open to expressing our free will/changing the reality. – michael

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SIZE DOES MATTER
By WomenCo
http://www.divinecaroline.com/articles/printer_friendly/22079/42873
February 2008

http://www.divinecaroline.com/articles/printer_friendly/22079/42873

I just finished reading The Female Brain (Dr. Louann Brizendine MD)
<http://www.amazon.com/dp/0767920090?tag=divinecarcom-20> and learned some
fascinating facts about the neurochemical make-up of women and how it
impacts our behavior. Here are some interesting nuggets I came away with:

1. The neurochemical make-up of men dictates whether or not they will be
faithful. There is a gene that codes for a particular kind of vasopressin
receptor in the brain, which comes in seventeen different lengths. Males
with longest gene variation are the most reliable and trustworthy partners.
Therefore, this is the only size that matters when seeking a long-term mate.

2. The female brain is nature¹s default setting. From conception until eight
weeks, the fetal brain has the circuitry pathways of the female brain. After
eight weeks, a huge testosterone surge makes this unisex brain male by
killing off some of the cells in the communication centers and growing the
areas dedicated to sex and aggression.

3. Women are not prone to fidelity any more than men are. Women are
subconsciously looking for the men with the best genes to father their
children. Symmetrical features are a signal of good genes, and therefore
women are drawn to men with more symmetrical structures. When a woman is
single, she is looking for men that can help her raise and protect her
family. Once the home is established, the biological need to sneak around
with men who have the best genes still persists.

4. Mommies fall ³in love² with their babies. Research has shown that tender
nurturing and breast-feeding that a mother experiences with her child
releases bursts of dopamine, the reward and pleasure chemical, just as it
does in romantic love.

5. No cold feet. In order for a woman to have an orgasm during sex, her
amygdala, the center for fear and anxiety must be turned off. Women need to
be comfortable and have their feet warm before they feel like having sex.

6. The switch from the giddy intensity of romance to the calmer, less
passionate long-term relationship state is nature¹s way of decreasing a
couple¹s focus on each other so that they can care for a new child.

7. The female brain is much more adept at reading subtle facial and verbal
emotional expressions. Men, on the other hand, cannot read emotions — it¹s
only when they see actual tears that they realize that something is wrong.
This is why women have evolved to cry four times more than men do, to signal
distress that men cannot ignore.

8. Love hurts — literally. Romantic rejection triggers the same circuits in
the brain, as does physical pain.

9. Menopause has the result of the ³mommy brain² getting unwired. At about
the age of forty-three, the female brain changes to become less sensitive to
estrogen and oxytocin, the ³tending² neurochemicals, and women are less
inclined to nurture, connect, or establish connections like they did in
their prior years. This kind of change usually baffles everyone around them.

10. Women are only half as likely to be gay as men. An estimated 5-10
percent of the female population is estimated to have same-sex attraction,
but the female brain is only half as likely to be wired for same sex
attraction as the male brain.