Notes on The Female Brain

A friend of mine who's into psychology recommended the book The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine, and I recently finished it. It was nice that the audio version was read by the author, and I found it to be a nice overview of the anatomy of the female brain and the resulting psychological implications. I've heard from other experts that some of the book's claims may not be 100% scientifically validated, so I took a lot of it with a grain of salt. I thought its perspective and focus on the role of hormones in guiding female behavior was really interesting nonetheless.

I'm always interested in learning more about people different than me, and I often find that women are so hard to understand and so different from us men. So books like these are always helpful in giving me new ways to understand the other half of the population.

Given the strong role of hormes that the book focuses on, I've thought about the usefulness to society of a visual indicator so that both women and the men they interact with know what day in a woman's cycle she is currently on (and have it be colored red if it's a "keep away" day and or green if it's a "happy" day). Yes, this is probably a somewhat farfetched idea, but the more we can understand about each other's context or mood, the better we can talk and negotiate with each other.

My notes on the book are below.

Intro

• 99% of genes the same
  
• Author psychiatrist 
  
• Twice as much depression in women than men
  
• Hormones
  
• Hormone states determine mood, interests
  
• Male brain states much more constant
  
• Women use different brain circuits to solve same problems
  
• Female brain compelled to communication and emotional connection, men to scoring and solitary work

Ch. 1: Birth of human brain

• Child impulses come from brain, even if parents give unisex toys
  
• Brains already different at birth
  
• Female brain in utero grows more communication center cells, males more aggression
  
• Females study faces way more
  
• Lack of facial expression very confusing to girls
  
• Girls feel more empathy
  
• Stress in utero and in first 2 years affects development a lot
  
• Urge to stay connected and get approval
  
• Girls use language of consensus
  
• Men don't seek as much connection or care about approval; way more autism in males due to brain differences
  

Ch. 2: Teen girl brain

• Hormones intensify normal behaviors
  
• Key concern is to become sexually desirable
  
• Social stress and drama main interest
  
• Exclusively interested in appearances
  
• Would happen even if no media/skinny models on TV
  
• Monthly hormone cycles in tune with ovulation
  
• Estrogen and progesterone guide emotions
  
• Same feedback and communication interpreted completely different based on day in cycle
  
• Develop close connections between girls
  
• Almost same dopamine hit from sharing secrets between girls as orgasm
  
• Communication intimacy most vital activities
  
• Boys don't need to chat as much
  
• Testosterone decreases talking
  
• Sex takes over boy's mind
  
• "Tend and befriend" (girl behavior)
  
• Hippocampus estrogen sensitive
  
• Aggression, empathy vary by day of cycle
  

Ch. 3: Love and trust

• Brains push to mate
  
• Males chasers, females choosers
  
• Brains spot healthiest mates, improving chance of reproduction
  
• Stone-age repro circuitry survived
  
• Females value social status and resources
  
• Want men 4" taller, 3 years older
  
• Men prefer physical more
  
• Quick clues to partner's fertility
  
• Women much better at reading faces and emotions
  
• Brain becomes illogical in love and ignores partner's faults
  
• Same brain states as mania, obsession, amphetamine, ecstasy drugs
  
• If lover away, literally drug withdrawal state
  
• 20 sec hug releases oxytocin which creates trust
  
• Love moves to attachment through vasopressin
  
• Females need physical touch to keep attachment; males also but less
  
• A gene codes for level of monogamy; amount of vasopressin link
  
• Rejection hurts like physical pain (same brain centers)
  
• Creates depression
  

Ch. 4: Brain below the belt

• Brain amygdala must be off for orgasm
  
• Woman must have warm feet and feel warm and comfortable to have sex
  
• Any little thing can spoil the mood
  
• Female orgasm pulls in more sperm; sperm wars
  
• Prefer body symmetry because no disease
  
• Odor and pheromone sensitivity different depending on day of month of cycle
  
• Testosterone creates sex drive in both genders
  

Ch. 5: Mommy brain

• Smelling baby pheromone creates baby lust in other females
  
• Brain changes smell, thirst, and hunger circuits during pregnancy
  
• Dads get morning sickness too
  
• Breast feeding activates special hormones
  
• Breast feeding also creates fuzzy brain, ditziness (but temporary)
  
• Amount of nurturing affects child development and passed on to children nursing their children
  

Ch. 6: Emotion, the feeling brain

• Postural, breathing mirroring
  
• Females much better at mind reading
  
• Men only notice when female cries
  
• Emotional memories not stored as well in men
  

Ch. 7: Mature female brain

• Changing hormones
  
• Mothering circuits lessen
  
• Grand-mothering important
  
• Hard working careers in menopause
  
• Estrogen replacement therapy
  
• Redefine relationships with men