Neuroscience, psychology, and medicine have accumulated a wealth of interesting data over the past decades. Here are just a few of the most intriguing differences, confirmed by research.

We see differently

The differences literally begin with the eyes. Men have thicker retinas and contain more so-called magnocellular cells, which are better at detecting movement. Women, on the other hand, have more parvocellular cells, which help distinguish details, shades, and textures.

Simply put: men are better at noticing a moving object, while women are better at discerning its appearance and color nuances.

Hearing and Intonation

Women’s hearing is, on average, more sensitive: they have more neurons in the corresponding areas of the brain, and they are better at detecting the emotional nuances of speech. Scientists suggest that this may have evolved to better care for infants.

Spatial Orientation

Discussions about navigation also have a biological basis. Women are more likely to navigate using familiar landmarks, while men construct an abstract map of the area in their heads, using cardinal directions and distances.

Women have a more active cerebral cortex, while men have a more active hippocampus.

Jealousy and Infidelity

Psychologists have long observed that men are more sensitive to physical infidelity, while women are more sensitive to their partner’s emotional attachment to someone else.

From an evolutionary perspective, this has a simple explanation: men valued their offspring, while women valued not losing their source of protection and resources.

Emotions and Their Expression

Brain scans have shown that after puberty, girls begin to process negative emotions more through the cerebral cortex—the area associated with speech and comprehension. This shift is less pronounced in boys.

This partially explains why women, on average, find it easier to talk about their feelings.

Aggression and Self-Control

The amygdala, which is responsible for fear and anger, is larger in men, on average. Combined with their unique brain wiring, this makes them more prone to physical conflict resolution.

Women have stronger impulse control regions, so aggression is more often expressed verbally than through actions.

Risk-Taking

Boys, on average, are more likely to take risks. In one experiment, girls stopped a dangerous simulation faster, while boys, on the contrary, reported finding it “exciting.”

Statistics show that men are more likely to die in accidents. They are more likely to overestimate their abilities and respond less well to warnings of danger.

Brain Injuries

Studies have shown that severe brain damage in men leads to faster cell death. The protective substance glutathione is more stable in women, while in men it can drop by almost 80%.