Four Major Differences in How Men and Women Perceive the World

Everyone acknowledges that men are physically stronger than women and that, generally, boys are better at math and science than girls. People know that baby girls utter their first words before baby boys and girls excel at language in school when compared to boys. But there are still a few people who would be unwilling to give credence to gender differences which are accepted by the majority of the population. The feminist movement in the US and the post modern obsession with being politically correct has eroded people's perception of gender differences. The belief that the only difference between men and women are reproductive specific has lead to many misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations in modern relationships.

What follows is a list of physiological differences between men and women, the basic knowledge of which will help men and women realize that they are not the same and certain expectations (e.g., a husband asking his wife to read the map while he drives) are unreasonable and will always lead to a fight. There are other physiological differences that aren't on this list, but this list is sampling some of the differences that often lead to arguments because of the failure to understand these differences. Each difference is concluded with an example of how one sex might apply the knowledge to get along more harmoniously with the other sex.

You just don't see my point of view.

Women have wider peripheral vision than men do. That is, women can see more clearly side to side and above them without turning their heads. Women can see accurately, up close, about 45 degrees from the middle of their faces, both side to side and up and down. Some women have peripheral vision that extends almost a full 180 degrees. This is why women get upset when men can't find something in the closet and refrigerator while they can find such things with ease. This is also why men always get caught ogling and women do not (it's not because they don't do it, as some men were lead to believe).

While men have narrower peripheral vision, their distance vision is more acute than women's. If a husband is driving with his wife, he will be able to read road signs before she will be able to. This is particularly true at night.

Examples of how this information can be applied to improving a relationship: If a couple is driving on a long road trip, they would be best suited on having the woman drive during the day and the man drive at night. If a man is looking for something in the closet and can't find it right away, yet she insists it's there, he should keep looking.

Can you hear me?

The male mind is a specialized instrument designed to perform one task at a time. If a man is preoccupied by speaking on the telephone, watching TV, or chatting on the internet and his partner asks him a question, he, quite literally, will not hear her if he is very engrossed in his football game or conversation. Women can't understand this since they are able to listen to multiple audio sources simultaneously. The reason for this is due to the differences in neurological architecture-the female mind is built for multi-tasking and the male mind is built for specialized, solo tasks.

Another interesting way in which the sexes process auditory signals differently is that males can discern lower pitched sounds better than women and women can process higher pitched sounds better than men. This is why when a man's wife says the car mechanic doesn't listen to her, she may have a point.

Example of how to use this information: Women should fully address a man when she is about to speak to him, to ensure she has his attention, before speaking to him.

By any other name would smell as sweet.

Men have a definitive center in their brains that control vocabulary. Since men do not have as highly developed sense of language and communication as women do, they place great value on vocabulary. Women, with a more advanced brain, communication wise, do not heed vocabulary as much.

Example: If men hear a woman misuse a word, he should think of what the implied or abstract meaning might have been, given the context of the conversation and not focus on the fact that the literal definition might have been incorrect.

Interspatial marriages.

The female brain does not have any dedicated grey matter for spatially oriented tasks like the male brain does. As such, women perform spatially oriented tasks like parking in tight spots and navigating map routes only with great difficulty.

Women's brains are better integrated than men's. The hemispheres of their brains are better connected. This is why some women have trouble discriminating between left and right and will often say one when they mean the other.

Example: Men should not get angry when she takes a long time to park in the garage. If a man gives a woman directions, he shouldn't rely on route numbers and the compass; instead, he should give landmarks to indicate which direction to go.

These are just a few examples of how differently men and women perceive and process the world. There are many others. The next time you are dealing with your spouse, your coed classmate, or even your child, keep the different point of view in mind and act accordingly. You'll be amazed at how much easier it is to get along with the opposite sex when you're aware of how differently they perceive the world.

Sources:

Barbara and Allan Pease, Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps, Welcome Rain Publishers, New York, 2000.