Men and Women -Why are they different?
Each generation tries to reach an understanding of
this paradox, this conundrum, the separation and uniqueness of the sexes, these
opposites made to be one. It may be puzzling but nature has not so far as I understand
it not come up with anything better. Every generation each gender takes a tilt
at trying to understand the other. The
Asian philosophers’ in their striving for understanding came up with this
beautiful symbol.
Yin/Yang
So simple but so profound the Yin and the Yang
There is no better gender, no preferred gender, no
more enlightened or special sex, no gender that is more entitled than the
other. We are equal but different, we are the same. We are nature’s gift to
each other.
Let’s look at each sex’s creativity. There is a
difference! Men and women have new
ideas and make new decisions, and they do it in their own way. Women tend to be
better in verbal fluency, while men tend to have an advantage with spatial
tasks. Why would we expect the nature of their creativity to be the same?
Men and women
have different structures and wiring in the brain, and men and women also use
their brains differently. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and other
noninvasive scans of male and female brains suggests that gender plays a role
in stress reactions,
and may influence memory, hearing, vision, emotion, even how we relax.
Women on the other hand have four times as many
brain cells (neurons) connecting the right and left side of their brain. This
latter finding provides physical evidence that supports the observation that
men rely easily and more heavily on their left brain to solve one problem one
step at a time. Women have more efficient access to both sides of their brain
and therefore greater use of their right brain. Women can focus on more than
one problem at one time and frequently prefer to solve problems through
multiple activities at a time. Nearly every parent has observed how young girls
find the conversations of young boys "boring". Young boys express
confusion and would rather play sports than participate actively in a
conversation between girls who are discussing as many as three subjects at
once!
Male brains
focus on far-away targets to the exclusion of other stimuli. As primitive
hunters sought to provide protein for the clan, they went after prey, tracked
it, captured it, owned it.
Women’s brains
perceive with gestalt concrete awareness and reading visual cues. As did early
gatherers, they scope the scenery for a broad view of their surroundings
keeping in sharp awareness of their immediate context. Our primitive fore-mothers
watched for signals in the children’s emotions, looked-out for potential
hazards and collected nuts and berries at the same time. Their ability to
multi-task has been going on forever, and for good purpose, and likely because
of the structure of their brain.
People are using
different metrics to determine creativity such as the number of ideas
generated, new products put into the marketplace and the like. Now that
women are becoming more active in the field, newer questions such as happiness,
employee engagement among other softer measures, are becoming factors to
consider.
The voice has it. The human brain processes the sounds of male and
female voices differently. While people tend to hear female voices more
clearly, men’s brains hear women’s voices first as music. It’s not the pitch of
the woman’s voice; it’s the vibration and number of sound waves that cause this
to happen.
The female voice
is more complex than the male voice, due to differences in the size and shape
of the vocal cords and larynx. Women have greater natural ‘melody’ in their
voices. Men can hear each other because they use a much simpler brain mechanism
at the back of the brain to decipher another man’s voice – they recognize it as
speech. The male brain goes into overdrive trying to analyze what is being said
by a woman and is challenged to understand it.
Men and women
are alike and different in many ways. We are dynamic systems steered by
physiological make up that includes brain structure, hormones and reproductive
contributions.
Men and women
perceive differently, respond to stress differently, suffer heart attacks
differently. Why wouldn’t we also consider that how we approach,
understand and express our creativity may be alike and different as well?
Perhaps the
challenge is in how creativity is defined. Is it possible that there are
gender differences in its perception as well?
Recognizing,
understanding, discussing as well as acting
skillfully in light of the differences between men and women can be difficult.
Our failure to recognize and appreciate these differences can become a lifelong
source of disappointment, frustration, tension and eventually our downfall in a
relationship. Not only can these differences destroy a promising relationship,
but most people will grudgingly accept or learn to live with the consequences.
Eventually they find some compromise or way to cope. Few people ever work past
these difficulties. People tend to accept what they don’t understand when they
feel powerless to change it.
Relationships between men and women are not
impossible or necessarily difficult. Problems simply arise when we expect or
assume the opposite sex should think, feel or act the way we do. It’s not that
men and women live in completely different realities. Rather, our lack of
knowledge and mutual experience gives rise to our difficulties.
Problems Men and women approach problems with
similar goals but with different considerations. While men and women can solve
problems equally well, their approach and their process are often quite
different. For most women, sharing and discussing a problem presents an
opportunity to explore, deepen or strengthen the relationship with the person
they are talking with. Women are usually more concerned about how problems are
solved than merely solving the problem itself. For women, solving a problem can
profoundly impact whether they feel closer and less alone or whether they feel
distant and less connected. The process of solving a problem can strengthen or
weaken a relationship. Most men are less concerned and do not feel the same as
women when solving a problem.
Sensitivity There is evidence to suggest that a great
deal of the sensitivity that exists within men and women has a physiological
basis. It has been observed that in many cases, women have an enhanced physical
alarm response to danger or threat. Their autonomic and sympathetic systems
have a lower threshold of arousal and greater reactivity than men. In both men
and women, higher levels of testosterone directly affect the aggressive
response and behaviour centres of the brain. Increasing oestrogen and
progesterone in men has a "feminizing" effect. Sexually aggressive
males become less focused on sexual aggressive behaviour and content when they
are given female hormones. On the other hand, changing oestrogen and
progesterone levels in women during menstrual cycles can produce a
"flood" of memories as well as strong emotions. Increasing or high
levels of testosterone can produce an emotional insensitivity, empathic block
and increased indifference to the distress others.
At the heart of sensitivity is our capacity to form,
appreciate and maintain relationships that are rewarding. Even here there are
important differences. For men, what demonstrates a solid relationship is quite different from that of most women.
Men feel closer and validated through shared activities. Such activities
include sports, competition, outdoor activities or sexual activities that are
decidedly active and physical. While both men and women can appreciate and
engage in these activities they often have preferential differences. Women, on
the other hand, feel closer and validated through communication, dialogue and
intimate sharing of experience, emotional content and personal perspectives.
Many men tend to find such sharing and involvement uncomfortable, if not,
overwhelming.
Men approach problems in a very different manner
than women. For most men, solving a problem presents an opportunity to
demonstrate their competence, their strength of resolve, and their commitment
to a relationship. How the problem is solved is not nearly as important as
solving it effectively and in the best possible manner. Men have a tendency to
dominate and to assume authority in a problem solving process. They set aside
their feelings provided the dominance hierarchy was agreed upon in advance and
respected. They are often distracted and do not attend well to the quality of
the relationship while solving problems.
Some of the more important differences can be
illustrated by observing groups of young teenage boys and groups of young
teenage girls when they attempt to find their way out of a maze. A group of
boys generally establish a hierarchy or chain of command with a leader who
emerges on his own or through demonstrations of ability and power. Boys explore
the maze using scouts while remaining in distant proximity to each other.
Groups of girls tend to explore the maze together as a group without
establishing a clear or dominant leader. Relationships tend to be co-equal.
Girls tend to elicit discussion and employ "collective intelligence"
to the task of discovering a way out. Girls tend to work their way through the
maze as a group. Boys tend to search and explore using structured links and a
chain of command.
- See more at: http://www.creativityland.ca/2010/male-and-female-creativity-is-there-a-difference/#sthash.SlBKZxXy.dpuf
Michael
G Connor gets it right
when he says:
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