Scientific Differences Between Genders

Genesis Apologetics

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Given the Genesis account, we would expect that men and women are designed in complementary ways that enable them to raise families and rule over earth better than either one of them could do alone.

00:11

The differences between men and women are good and are by design. They are equal but not interchangeable.

00:18

Together, man and woman reflect the image of God. Given this biblical idea, next we'll discuss some of these differences going from head to toe.

00:27

First, there's vision. To begin with, women's pupils are actually 9 % larger than men on average.

00:35

Ever hear the saying that your mom has eyes in the back of her head? Well, it turns out that women have better peripheral vision.

00:42

Women have better color perception and men require a slightly longer wavelength of a color to experience the same shade as women.

00:50

Men are also 17 times more likely to be colorblind than women. Men have greater sensitivity for fine detail and for rapidly moving objects.

01:00

Scientists have learned that this results from hormonal differences between males and females during fetal development, with the male brain having higher concentrations of androgen receptors in their visual cortex, resulting in 25 % more of these neurons than females.

01:16

Women have much better high -frequency hearing. Scientists have also determined through brain imaging that women listen by using both sides of their brain while men just use one.

01:27

Women have a better sense of smell compared to men, with studies showing that women have 43 % more cells and almost 50 % more neurons in their olfactory centers than men.

01:38

Women also have a better sense of taste than men, with studies showing more neurons in the brain's taste centers.

01:45

Dr. Bartyschuk, a professor at the University of Florida Center for Smell and Taste, has found that super tasting abilities are more common in women than in men, with 35 % of women making the super taster rank compared to only 15 % of men.

02:01

Next, on to the skull and brain. There are pronounced differences between male and female skulls in weight, size, capacity, and even shape, and inside of those skulls, there's a whole lot of differences going on too.

02:14

To begin with, men have six times more gray matter associated with intellectual functioning compared to women, and women have nine times more white matter involved in intellectual function compared to men.

02:26

Also, 84 % of the gray matter correlated to intelligence in women is located in the front part of the brain, compared to only 45 % in men.

02:36

Even greater differences exist with white matter, where 86 % of the volume responsible for intelligence is in the front part of the brain, compared to 0 % in men.

02:47

The gray matter driving male intellectual performance is distributed throughout more of the brain.

02:53

A new scientific study of 118 babies revealed major differences in how male and female brains develop in the womb, even before conditioning from parents and culture come into play.

03:05

This study revealed significant differences in 7 of 16 functional connection networks between males and females, and these begin just weeks into the baby's development.

03:15

Another major study used advanced imaging techniques to trace and highlight the fiber pathways connecting the different regions of the brain.

03:24

949 brain scans revealed greater neural connectivity from front to back and within one hemisphere in males.

03:31

This indicates that the male brain is designed to facilitate greater connectivity between perception and coordinated action.

03:39

In females, the researchers found that the wiring was generally greater between the left and right hemispheres.

03:45

This connectivity facilitates better communication between the analytical and intuitive compared to males.

03:52

The lead scientist on the study noted, these maps show us a stark difference and complementarity in the architecture of the human brain that helps provide a potential neural basis as to why men excel at certain tasks and women at others.

04:06

Researchers also added that these differences may explain why men tend to be better at learning and performing a single task, like cycling or navigating, and why women are better at multitasking.

04:17

The same volunteers in the study performed a series of cognitive tests which supported these conclusions.

04:23

Women did well on tasks related to attention, word, and facial memory, whereas men did well on spatial processing and sensory motor speed.

04:32

Could it be that these major wiring distinctions are by design? Something that our creator set into our male and female blueprints to complement each other in life, work, and raising children?

04:43

We certainly think so. Moving on, consider that our vocal cords are different too, and most women don't have a pronounced

04:50

Adam's apple. That's something that happens to boys as testosterone is increased during puberty.

04:57

Testosterone causes his larynges to expand and meet the thyroid cartilage at an angle, lowering and deepening the male voice.

05:04

Together, men and women join to produce some of the most heavenly sounds in harmony. Women's faces even have twice the number of nerve cells as men, making them more sensitive to touch sensations and pain.

05:49

Men and women also by design store fat in different places, contributing to the body differences that are so obvious in men and women.

05:57

All these differences between men and women are real, and they're all present at birth before parenting or culture come into play.

06:04

Clinical psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson, professor at the University of Toronto, briefly sums up the key differences between men and women this way.

06:17

What are the main difference between men and women that can never been changed?

06:23

Well, there's morphological differences, like physical differences that are part and parcel of our genetic heritage, obviously.

06:31

Genitalia would be one of them, and secondary sex characteristics, upper body strength.

06:37

So men on average are much stronger in their upper body. Women have a bit of an edge in stamina.

06:43

They have a bit of an edge in verbal ability. Men seem to have a slight edge in spatial ability, although that's somewhat debatable.

06:51

But it looks relatively solid. Women are more enthusiastic.

06:58

Men are more assertive. That's extroversion. Women are higher in withdrawal and volatility. Those are both aspects of trait neuroticism, which is the proclivity for negative emotion.

07:08

So women experience more negative emotion than men. That kicks in at puberty. And the difference isn't massive, but it's large enough to produce about a threefold difference in the rates of depression and anxiety worldwide between men and women.

07:25

Men are less agreeable, which is part of what accounts for the 10 to 1 ratio of men to women who are incarcerated, because that's the best personality predictor of criminal behavior.

07:39

Women are more aesthetically oriented, and men are more interested in ideas. That's on the openness side.

07:44

Men are more interested in things on average, and women are more interested in people.

07:50

And that's actually the largest psychological difference that we know of between men and women.

07:55

And that's a major determinant of occupational choice. And so that's a good summary of the differences.

08:03

Men and women have Genesis 1 blueprints, but we also live in a Genesis 3 world marred by the fall.

08:09

The expressions of humanity that go against God's design, marital covenant, and laws are far and wide.

08:16

Going against them wrecks relationships, families, and futures. Living with them brings life, safety, nurture, and legacy.

08:25

What God has laid out is clear, but He leaves the choices up to us. Every one of us has sinned.

08:32

We've all gone against God's best in one way or the other, but through Christ there is hope.

08:37

There is forgiveness. There can be a fresh start. Restoration and healing await those who repent.

08:45

Looking for answers about what the Bible teaches about creation, the fossil record, dinosaurs? Download the

08:51

Genesis Apologetics app from the iTunes or Google Play stores for answers to these questions and more.