Your Brain's Sex

I came across a special feature on the BBC's site - 'Secretes of the Sexes'. In the section called Science & Nature.


I did very well on the test on picking out the genuine smiles over the fake ones. I had a little advantage because I heard an interview on 'To The Best Of Our Knowledge' with Paul Ekman, the professor who is an expert in this kind of thing. He had a big influence on the test, in fact. I was aware that the eyes are more revealing than the mouth. It's still tricky, though. Some folk crease their eyes even when they fake a smile. There are more detailed changes in the face that allow observers to be more precise. I don't know all about the quadrants and little movements as the scientists like Ekman have mapped out and remembered, but I showed to be better than average. I quietly always believed this, partly because I find that I am more observant in general than most folk I meet.

Spot the Fake Smiles

The 'sex' of my brain is pretty balanced with a leaning towards the feminine. This I was also aware of just by inner knowing. I was very honest in taking the test because I wanted accurate results to compare with. I was above average in most of the parts which means I was strong in both feminine- and masculine-brained abilities. I like that I am balanced and not strongly favoring one side.

I know my brain is masculine because I like gadgets and machinery. I like to know how things work and puttings things together. I also have always been good at spacial relations with an excellent sense of direction. I can find my way anywhere with a map and even get around well without one. Though I do tend to know my way around best by remembering landmarks rather than through names of streets, routes, towns, and buildings. This makes me realize that that old animation short on Sesame Street ("Try to remember everything you passed. But when you go back, make the first thing the last.") is a lesson in more feminine thinking. It's about finding your way, not by the names of things, but by recalling the things themselves. That's the feminine trait of remembering the placement of objects. They say that's why women tend to remember better where the car keys were last placed.



I remember feeling how other-worldly that was to watch as a little kid. So that's a way of getting around that's more feminine. Another feminine-brain strength I have is empathy of people's emotions. I had a perfect score in reading the emotions behind the eyes. That test was fun because it was easy and came naturally.

On the masculine side, I did well in rotation of a 3D shape. I have fun with those kinds of test, too. I know I would've scored higher if it wasn't a time thing. I am meticulous-minded, so I prefer taking my time doing things. I prefer to do them accurately rather than quickly.

I was even on the test on Emotions and Systems. I was strong in empathizing and systemising. My hands are balanced, too. My right hand is feminine and my left is masculine. This was determined by ring finger length. I'm not surprised because my left arm is the stronger one in terms of brute force, but the right is more precise with a more delicate touch. I was one-sided in one area: I have a preference for more feminine faces. This is not surprise either. It's funny to me how a lot of guys who play off as hyper-manly like boyish women with 'handsome' faces. I always found that term odd when describing a women. It's supposed to be a compliment. Huh?

Things that taking this test remind me to do?

1. Savor your balanced nature. You have qualities from both ends of the spectrum. Enjoy who you are. Make good use of all parts of you.
2. Remember to cross the mid-line. All this brain stuff reminds me to connect both sides of the brain by doing activities that have the each side of your body cross over to the other side. Just the simple movement of crossing your arms achieves this. It's simple to do while it brings the sides of the brain together.
3. Try doing a little bit more a little bit better in a playful manner. Enjoy working on improving your ability to do things. Try remembering the names of things as you travel through unfamiliar territory. Take note of things in familiar areas that you never noticed before. Try doing things with the other hand from time to time. Close your eyes and 'see' what you can hear and feel and smell, maybe even taste.
   
4. Challenge yourself to take more risks. The last test was called Ultimatum. You have £50. You decide how much to split with another person. If the other person agrees, you both get what you decided to split on. If the other person doesn't agree, you both get nothing. I was very conservative. I split it evenly. If I thought it out more, I could've gotten more because the other person would not want to walk away with nothing and so would agree to getting less than me. Something is better than nothing. I didn't put much thought into it because I was easily satisfied with getting half. I am fair-minded. And I am not greedy. But this was a chance to practice taking more risks. It was only a game after all. How far would I go in this barter? Thinking about it now quickly, I would try an offer of giving the other £10. It's not a fair share by any means, but the other person gets something as opposed to nothing. I'll take the gamble that the other might be so offended by this short-end deal and decide to walk away with nothing to spite my impudence. It's only a game. It's only money. I got to experience being impudent, being brazen bold with chutzpah in an arena of little consequence. So there. Take it or leave it!
5. Enjoy life. That's the overall lesson. You are who you are. Make the most of it. The fact that you are above average is bonus. The fact that you are a well-balanced individual is even more to feel good about. So have fun in this world. There's a lot to enjoy. Keep that kind of mind-set and you'll find things everywhere all the time. So 'set your tone.'