"The Female Brain"

"The Female Brain"
Louann Brizendine, M.D.
Morgan Road Books, $24.95






To all women who think they are a little crazy and all men who don't understand them: Read this book.

Ever wondered why there aren't more women in engineering jobs? How women can read men's minds? Why men don't understand why their girlfriends go from what they think is fine and normal to a mess of tears and wailings, while the girlfriends don't understand why they didn't see it coming? Why boys play rough and girls role play? Why men are always ready for sex and women have to be "in the mood"?

There are biological explanations for all of those, and Louann Brizendine illustrates what they are.

Brizendine uses examples from her patients and her own life to sensibly explain the differences between men and women. Their actions, personality traits, and job, family and mate choices are more than just differences in nurturing; nature has played a role in what makes a man a man and what makes a woman a woman.

Scientists and doctors used to think that women's brains were just a smaller version of men's, and therefore similar, Brizendine says. She disproves that theory by showing the scientific actions of the testosterone, estrogen, amygdala, oxytocin, etc., produce the different actions and reactions men and women have to varied situations.

In one case, a man goes to play poker with his buddies instead of calling his girlfriend. His girlfriend assumes he has found someone else and is cheating on her. She becomes upset with him and he has no idea why. Somone might just think the girlfriend has a jealous, controlling problem, but in reality, because of the way the human species has evolved, her brain was trained to think her boyfriend was out with someone else for the basic biological needs of humans — to reproduce.

Brizendine explains that throughout evolution, those who have survived to reproduce and pass on their traits to future generations have affected the way the human race is now. A man's job is to reproduce with as many women as possible, while a woman's job is to be assured that she will have comfort from this man and he will be there when she needs him. Of course she would fear the worst if her boyfriend doesn't call — biologically, it would make the most sense for him to be out with other women.

Now if that isn't assurance that women aren't crazy, I don't know what is!

But I wouldn't recommend this book just because it made me feel better about myself, the things I have done, the things I have experienced and the things I will look forward to encountering in the future.

My biggest complaint about the book is the lack of discussion about homosexual men and women. There are a few pages tucked after the main part of the book but before Brizendine's citations where she explains that homosexual women tend to have brains that may react more like men's in different situations because they have more testosterone, but that is about it. I was disappointed that there wasn't a chapter devoted to differences between heterosexual and homosexual women, but I'm guessing that's because of lack of research there. Perhaps there isn't much of a significant difference, but I still think it's something that should be addressed.

Women should read "The Female Brain" to know they are not alone in the ways they feel about things and that it is normal for them to go through different phases and feelings. Men should read it so they can get a better understanding of why women react the way they do in different situations.

The book probably won't help any man understand women any better, but it's probably a good start.