Unfortunately, there are also gender-specific tendencies that are not so good. Women are more prone to experience depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Men are more likely to suffer from schizophrenia, dyslexia, and autism, and to become alcoholic or drug-dependent. These are proposed to result from their distinctive wiring patterns.
We know that men and women react differently from an emotional perspective, and that, researchers argue, may also have to do with brain issues. The female brain has greater blood flow in the cingulate gyrus, the part of the brain that’s involved in processing emotions, resulting in more intensive emotional reactions and stronger emotional memories.
There are also some sex-specific behaviors that seem to be innate, not learned. Since behaviors are initiated by our brains, this suggests there some hard-wiring going on. Female mice, for example, have a trait not found in males of protecting their nests from invaders. In monkeys, males prefer toys with wheels while females prefer plush toys. Moving up the ladder, human toddlers show a preference for sex-specific toys before they know they’re a gender, and show some of the perceptual differences found in adults that are mentioned above.
