male vs female brain

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OK, so I don't really buy the extreme male brain hypothesis, and I think the idea of a gendered brain is kind of bogus to begin with. But I took an online test & thought it was kind of strange to note that my brain is really "male", according to the researchers anyway. (I'm a woman and self-diagnosed on the autistic spectrum--yeah, i know, tisk tisk on the self diagnosis...) It's a looooong, boring test, but I'd be curious to see your results. I was surprised at how well I did on the emotion recognition by eyes part--and by how bad I did on the "spot the difference" part.

The test: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/ ... ml?users=1


"Part 1
Angles
This task tested your ability to identify the angle of a line by matching it with its twin. This is a spatial task, which looks at how you picture space.
Your score: 20 out of 20
Average score for men: 15.1 out of 20
Average score for women: 13.3 out of 20
What does your result suggest?
If you scored 0 - 12: You have more of a female brain. Scientists believe that people with a female brain find it more difficult to judge the slope of a line because they're not wired for spatial tasks. In past studies, 65 per cent of people who scored in this range were women.
If you scored 13 - 17: You found this test neither hard nor easy. This suggests your brain has male and female traits when it comes to spatial ability.
If you scored 18 - 20: You have more of a male brain. On average, men outperform women in this task and those with more mathematical knowledge tend to score quite high as well. In past studies, 60 per cent of the people in this range were men.
Interestingly, men's testosterone levels fluctuate through the seasons and studies have shown that men's scores are lower in the spring, when their testosterone levels are at their lowest.
Spot the difference
This task tested your ability to identify which objects changed position. You lost points, if you incorrectly identified objects.
Your score: 21%
Average score for men: 39%
Average score for women: 46%
What does your score suggest?
If you scored between 0 - 33%: You may have more of a male brain. Scientists say men tend to under perform in this task. The corpus callosum, the part of the brain that links the right and left hemispheres, is a fifth larger in women. This means women can process visual and other signals at the same time more easily than men. There is also a theory that oestrogen levels in women give them an added advantage in spatial memory.
If you scored between 34 - 66%: You may have a balanced female-male brain.
If you scored between 67 - 100%: Those with a female-type brain generally score in this range. Your ability to remember where objects are may serve as an advantage to you when you're trying to find your way around places. You're more capable of recalling landmarks to get from one place to another.
Part 2
Hands
You said your left thumb was on top when you clasped your hands together.
Right thumb on top: This suggests the left half of your brain is dominant. Many studies have tried to establish whether there is a relationship between handedness and brain dominance. Some scientists believe that if you are left brain dominant, you would be more verbal and analytical.
Left thumb on top: This suggests the right half of your brain is dominant. Some studies theorise that as a right brain dominant person, you may excel in visual, spatial and intuitive processes.
However, these theories are debatable and leave much to be said about the small percentage of people who are ambidextrous.
Part 3
Emotions and Systems
This task looked at whether you prefer to empathise or systemise.
Empathising
Your empathy score is: 8 out of 20
Average score for men: 7.9 out of 20
Average score for women: 10.6 out of 20
What does your result suggest?
Empathisers are better at accurately judging other people's emotions and responding appropriately. If you scored 15 and above, you are very empathic and would be an ideal person to comfort people in a time of crisis. Women in general are better at empathising.
Systemising
Your systemising score is: 16 out of 20
Average score for men: 12.5 out of 20
Average score for women: 8.0 out of 20
What does your result suggest?
Systemisers prefer to investigate how systems work. A system can be a road map, flat pack furniture, or a mathematical equation – anything that follows a set of rules. A score of 15 and above suggests you're good at analysing or building systems. Men in general are better at systemising.
Scientists are keen to learn more about people who score high or low on both tests. They want to find out whether or not empathising and systemising are linked. Is a possible to make yourself more empathic?
Some scientists claim that our empathy and systemising abilities can be traced all the way back to prehistoric times.
Eyes
This task tested your ability to judge people's emotions.
Your score: 8 out of 10
Average score for men: 6.6 out of 10
Average score for women: 6.6 out of 10
What does your result suggest?
If you scored 0 - 3: Do you think you're good at judging how another person is feeling? Your score suggests this doesn't come to you quite so naturally.
If you scored 4 - 6: Your result suggests you have a balanced female-male brain and find it neither easy nor difficult to judge people's emotions.
If you scored 7 - 10: Your result suggests you are a good empathiser, sensitive to other people's emotions. Women generally fall into this category.
Professor Baron-Cohen at the University of Cambridge says that people usually perform better than they expect to on this test.
Men often think a person's eyes are sending signals of desire when that's not the case at all.
Part 4
Fingers
We asked you to measure your ring and index fingers. Your ratios came to:
Right Hand: 0.91
Left Hand: 0.91
Average ratio for men: 0.982
Average ratio for women: 0.991
It's thought that your ratio is governed by the amount of testosterone you were exposed to in your mother's womb. The ratio of the length of your index finger to the length of your ring finger is set for life by as early as three months after conception. Even during puberty, when we experience intensive hormonal changes, the ratio stays the same.
Men generally have a ring finger that is longer than their index finger, which gives them a lower ratio than women, whose ring and index fingers are usually of equal length.
Studies have found that men and women with lots of brothers generally have more masculine finger ratios. Find out what other things scientists think our ratios may tell us.
Part 5
Faces
This task looked at how you rate the attractiveness of a series of faces. The images you looked at were digitally altered to create slight differences in masculinity.
Your choices suggest you prefer more masculine faces.
Highly masculinised male faces possess more extreme testosterone markers such as a long, broad and lower jaw, as well as more pronounced brow ridges and cheekbones.
Interestingly, women's preferences are said to vary across the menstrual phase. A more masculine face is preferred during the 9 days prior to ovulation, when conception is most likely.
A typical 'attractive' female face possesses features such as a shorter, narrower, lower jaw, fuller lips and larger eyes than an average face.
Part 6
3D shapes
This task tested your ability to mentally rotate 3D shapes.
Your score: 12 out of 12
Average score for men: 8.2 out of 12
Average score for women: 7.1 out of 12
What does your result suggest?
If you scored 0 - 6: Do you find yourself having to physically rotate a map to point in the direction in which you're travelling? This might explain why you scored in the lower range in the 3D shapes test. Twice as many women as men score in this category. Previous studies suggest that those with a female-type brain or with an arts background fall into this range.
If you scored 7 - 9: In past studies, 50 per cent of the people who scored in this range were women and 50 per cent were men.
If you scored 10 - 12: Are you an engineer or do you have a science background? People with these skills tend to score in this range. Past studies have concluded that people in this range have a more male brain.
Nearly a third of men who took this test got full marks, whereas less than 10 per cent of women managed the same. Find out why.
Words
This task looked at your verbal fluency.
Your score: you associated 12 word(s) with grey and you named 5 word(s) that mean happy. We are assuming that all the words you entered are correct.
Average score for men: 11.4 words total
Average score for women: 12.4 words total
What does your result suggest?
If you produced 1 - 5 words: You are more of the strong, silent type with a male brain. You probably find it easier to express yourself in non-verbal ways, preferring action rather than words.
If you produced 6 - 10 words: Most people in this range have a female-type brain.
Women are said to use both sides of the brain when doing verbal tasks while men mainly use their left side. Studies have shown that girls develop vocabulary faster than boys. This difference in brain power is caused by levels of pre-natal testosterone. Find out more .
Ultimatum
This task asked you how you would divide money.
If you had to split £50 with someone, you said you would demand £25
So far on the Sex ID test, men have demanded 51.6% (£25.80) of the pot and women have demanded 51.0% (£25.50), on average.
What does your response suggest?
Sex differences are small in this task. Demanding less than 60% of the pot (ie £30) is more typically female. Demanding more than 65% of the pot (ie £32.50) is more typically male.
Scientists believe that people with lower testosterone levels tend to take fewer risks so they are probably more willing to keep less for themselves. Those with higher testosterone levels tend to drive a harder bargain and are less compromising.
Men's testosterone levels fluctuate over the seasons and are at their lowest levels during the springtime. This is said to influence their bargaining power. Find out more about the role of testosterone."

It's logical mind test, the more you're logical, the more you're "male". I'm more logical, rational and systemizing than my bf is, so I scored higher on male scale than he did. I feel female. None of us has a problem with gender indentity etc. I find this male/female brain theory a total BS.

Im a female and I scored more male, slightly on the male side. If you score more on the opposite sex side, it doesnt mean you have gender identity problems. Male and female brain are just labels. Even if more women tend to think a certain way and more males tend to think a certain way. We are born into the gender we are born into and most of us are fine with it and find a way to be that gender.

I think its only people who have brains on the more extreme ends of the opposite sex might have gender identity issues.

Personally the hyper masculine brains, I think its a politically incorrect label. To say autistics have more systemizing brains is more accurate. Once you slap a gender label on it, it causes controversy. I personally think all of you are taking the hyper masculine brain theory too literally. I still think Cohen-Barens theory needs to be analyzed more before people accept it as a complete legit theory. Like everything else, theres probably many flaws in it. I do think its probably at least somewhat accurate. You just need to revise the descriptions to make things more politically correct.

I'm not sure how this test works or if it's right at all but it said according to its scale most woman get a 50 the female side and most men get a 50 on the male side. I got a 0 in the middle which is pink like the female side. Not sure what that means the rest seems to suggest I have a female brain from what I can tell from how it's worded.

I'm not sure if I've ever taken that one in particular, but I'm female, and every test I've taken says I'm male-brained.

I feel like I have a male and female brain....like I am between the two. I mean I dress kind of like a female and kind of like a dude....I act more like a dude in some ways and more like a female in some ways. I feel akward refering to myself as female because of the common stereotypes but I would feel less akward referring to myself as male. I took the quiz thingy and it did not really tell me much except that in some ways I am more like a dude and in some ways I am slightly more like a chick.

lol now I feel immature for saying chicks and dudes and not males and females.......but hey I say chicks and dudes, lol I started calling people dude when I realised it was a good cover for having trouble adressing people by name.

I took this test once. I was all over the place, and I ended up giving up after the vocabulary test, I think.

I feel like my brain doesn't go male or female. Not androgynous, just...neither, nor any other gender.

There is actually evidence of differences between male and female brains.. I studied this in depth during my degree.. Though that was many years ago so I have forgotten the details now, but the main part I can recall is that a male's brain works side to side and a woman's works front to back & vice versa. Interesting stuff. Not sure how it all fits in with asperger's, but just thought I would mention it.

I don't think not having a "male brain" should necessarily mean having a "female brain". I'm not interested in classic male topics but I'm just as disinterested in classic female topics. I just pick my interests neutrally. Being categorized as female or male is unnecessary.

Scored really high on the 3d shapes. Ran out of time at the end. That is all I'm really worried about.

Male but my "brain score" was at about 25 on the female side, well away from the average male score. I did quite badly at the 3D shapes which was something I had always thought I was good at.

Empathising

Your empathy score is: 1 out of 20


No surprises there then!

I scored around average for a female. That's a relief.

I'm right in the middle with a slight lean towards male.

No surprises here.