The Female Brain

This afternoon I began a book called "The Female Brain", at the recommendation of my mother who's also reading it. I was a little skeptical, felt like it could be a little too preachy or "fluffy". But, at least the first 4 pages have not been that. It's in fact a rather amusing read.

From the front cover:

"It's not as if we all start out with the same brain structure. They are different by nature. Think about this. What if the communication center is bigger in one brain than the other? What if the emotional memory center if bigger in one brain than the other? What if one brain develops a greater ability to read cues in people than another? In this case, you would have a person whose reality dictated that communication, connection, emotional sensitivity, and responsiveness were the primary values. This person would prize these qualities above all others and be baffled by another person with a brain that didn't grasp the importance of these qualities. In essence, you would have someone with a female brain." -Excerpt

"Every brain begins as a female brain. It only becomes male eight weeks after conception, when excess testosterone shrinks the communication center, reduces the hearing cortex, and makes the part of the brain that processes sex twice as large." -Jacket blurb

Talking about the fluctuations in hormone levels in a woman's brain:

"Because of the fluctuations that begin as early as three months old and last until after menopause, a woman's neurological reality is not as constant as a man's. His is like a mountain that is worn away imperceptibly over the millenia by glaciers, weather, and the deep tectonic movements of the earth. Hers is more like the weather itself -- constantly changing and hard to predict."

This analogy made me smile and giggle inside.

I think my blog is mostly going to become a collection of quotes, since I seem to be finding a lot of things that make me say, "Exactly!" Or, "Ohhhh, that makes more sense now!" or "Wow, that's an interesting way of seeing things." So, if anyone still reads this, I hope you enjoy.