Over the past 15 years, numerous scientific studies have conclusively proven that boys are “hardwired” differently than girls.
1. Magnetic resonance imaging and PET scans reveal unique neurological processes in male and female brains. A boy’s brain “lights up” differently than a girl’s brain. These differences start long before birth.
TESTOSTERONE
2. Up until six or seven weeks after conception, all embryos are technically “female.” At that point, testosterone bathes the embryos that have inherited a “Y” (male) chromosome. This hormonal bath alters the brain’s structure in many ways and changes its color. The connections between the two hemispheres of the brain are actually damaged. As a result, boys have a harder time integrating and articulating what they know, feel and believe.
3. At puberty, testosterone floods a boy’s body again and over the course of time physically transforms him into a man. What many people don’t realize is that testosterone continues to influence a man’s every thought and action. Dr. James Dobson says, “What estrogen is to females, testosterone is to males.” Men and women have both hormones, but in wildly disproportionate amounts. These differing hormone levels continue to affect us throughout life.
4. Our actions and roles in life can elevate or depress our hormonal levels. For example, studies have shown that testosterone levels rise in athletes before they compete. But the reverse is even more evident: Hormone levels determine our actions. Testosterone in particular drives the masculine interest in car racing, professional football, hockey, guns, prize fighting, etc. Many woman enjoy these activities too, but far fewer are preoccupied, or obsessed, with them.
SEROTONIN
5. Boys and girls, and men and women, also have differing amounts of the hormone serotonin. If testosterone is the gasoline that powers the brain, serotonin slows the speed and helps one steer. Typically, females have more serotonin than males do. A lack of serotonin can cause boys and men to be more aggressive, violent, depressed or suicidal.
AMYGDALA
6. The amygdala is an almond-sized portion of the brain that functions as an “emotional computer.” It’s the portion of the brain that remembers fearful experiences and reacts to new situations. It reacts — it doesn’t think or reason. Add low levels of serotonin and high levels of testosterone to the mix, and it’s a recipe for trouble. Not surprisingly, the amygdala is larger in males than in females.
