"He Said, She Said." How Men's and Women's Brains Differ

While I welcome and appreciate the discussion here in the comments I am finding frustrating focus on the word resonance I mentioned in the comments. I mentioned it not to say that I couldn't believe that Dr. Brizendine's work couldn't or shouldn't be criticized but rather that the message that was presented in that session wasn't what I subsequently learned was objectionable to many of her critics, several of whom I linked to in the post.

The audience was women seeking to jump-start and advance their careers and they appeared to appreciate a relevant discussion from 3 panelists including Ms. Brizendine. They were not scientists convening to analyze Brizendine's research methodology or the validity of the scientific underpinnings of her books. To imply that the audience could only have appreciated the panel if offered a dumbed-down war of the sexes message or because they were too stupid to grasp the weakness of Dr. Brizendine's science or that they could not or should not have reacted favorably because others have found fault with Dr. Brizendine's prior work or because other pieces she has written or appearances she has made were not well received or because the media likes to focus on highlighting claims of gender differences is unfair and a bit insulting to both the audience and the other speakers. Similarly, I trust that readers who aren't already pre-disposed to dismiss out-of-hand anything involving Dr. Brizendine are fully capable of evaluating whether or not there is any useful takeaway from what I covered from the session.

For those who want to dig deeper into Dr. Brizendine's work the links I included in the post, in addition to those in the comments, provide a multitude of differing views. While the outpouring of scathing criticism is marginally related to the post, I look forward to reading some discussion of the specific conference panel.

BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/maria-niles )
PopConsumer ( http://consumerpop.typepad.com/popconsumer )
Beyond Help ( http://mariax.vox.com/ )

Thank you, Karen for the book recommendation and additional perspective. It is useful to have a range of views available to those who wish to dig deeper into the writing of the two authors on the panel I discussed in this post.

I will note, however, that the discussion at the session was not focused on a Mars-Venus distinction. I've read John Gray's book and this was not that. What seemed to resonate was an encouraging message of the value of self-knowledge and empathy. Without having interviewed each audience member I can only share my impression and personal experience.

BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/maria-niles )
PopConsumer ( http://consumerpop.typepad.com/popconsumer )
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Carol Tavris’ Mismeasure of Woman is still very much relevant to this discussion.

Tavris describes how small scale studies which purport to find major gender differences are picked up by the media and widely reported. What does not get reported is the small number of subjects in many of the studies and the failure to replicate the findings.

As Tavris notes, differences within genders are greater than those between genders. The “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” may resonate with many people, but the evidence for it is scant.

Karen Bojar

http://www.the-next-stage.com/

Thank you Elizabeth and Adela for commenting and sharing your critiques of Dr. Brizendine's research and science. If you take a look at the links at the end of my post you'll see that your concerns are widely shared. And certainly there were a few slides intended to be humorous that played into tired stereotypes e.g., men have a tiny cell in the brain that enjoys ironing. I can't think of many - male or female- who enjoy ironing. No doubt promoting the idea, even for laughs, that women are wired for domestic chores and men are wired to focus on sex all day is weak. But that was not the focus of the presentation nor the reason why the talk resonated.

My sister is the neurologist in the family so I am not qualified to evaluate the scientific basis of Dr. Brizendine's discussion. Also, not having read her work or having any awareness of her work prior to attending the session, I can only offer my evaluation of the presentation I saw. My surprise at the criticism I subsequently read was the view of her writing as serving to blame women for difficulties they have in the workplace or in relationships and to absolve men of responsibility for "bad" behavior in dealing with women. That did not come across at all in her talk - in fact it was quite contrary to that.

What resonated in the room from Dr. Brizendine's presentation (along with comments from the other panelists including the author of The Male Factor ( http://www.shaunti.com/BooksStudies/TheMaleFactor/... ) who shared similar perspectives though not from a neuroscience basis) was the idea that broadly, men and women might approach issues, problems, tasks and relationships in the workplace differently. Rather than blaming yourself or getting angry or frustrated with others, making an effort to understand those approaches through the other's eyes is useful.

Now that's not new advice but it was helpful hearing about it from the point of view that some biological forces might be driving some of those differences. It can make it easier to get outside of yourself and look at situations with some detachment and objectivity. Additionally, it was helpful to have the discussion at a career conference using the setting of and examples from the workplace. That ultimately is what and why I think the panel resonated with the room.

I do appreciate the efforts of those who have the knowledge to evaluate, criticize and evolve the science. But, even if her science is junk, in my opinion the presentation to a career conference and the accompanying panel offered useful food for thought, was well received and is worth sharing and discussing.

BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/maria-niles )
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Hear Elizabeth. Resonating with an audience is not the same as well-grounded science.

Adela
www.oncealittlegirl.wordpress.com ( http://www.oncealittlegirl.wordpress.com )
www.theblacktortoise.com ( http://www.theblacktortoise.com )

Before taking Dr. Brizendine's claims to heart, I strongly suggest reading some of the Language Log posts about the garbage she's passing off as science. These are just three of them:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archive...
http://158.130.17.5/~myl/languagelog/archives/0035...
http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archive...

Resonating with people in a room is often more about dressing up their preconceived notions and stereotypes in pretty or intelligent-sounding ways. That's not science.

Elizabeth Kate Switaj
www.elizabethkateswitaj.net ( http://www.elizabethkateswitaj.net )

Thanks for your comment, Jane! I was surprised to read some strong criticism of her work after her talk because I thought she really resonated with the audience in the room. I look forward to hearing your thoughts after you've read the book.

BlogHer Contributing Editor ( http://www.blogher.com/blog/maria-niles )
PopConsumer ( http://consumerpop.typepad.com/popconsumer )
Beyond Help ( http://mariax.vox.com/ )

Great review of Dr. Brizendine's speech, Maria. I was able to pick up a signed copy of her new book The Male Brain this morning at the conference. I'm two chapters into it and it promises to be as insightful as her overview.