By: Pie Rasor I’m sure you’ve heard of the idea that men and women are fundamentally different even though we’re the same species. We think differently, act differently, have different likes and dislikes, and it’s all because of simple biology. Different brains, different ways of acting. Men and women can be neatly set into categories created by our own bodies and the way we think.
Supposedly. Male and female brains is an idea that's been around for hundreds of years. It's usually used to justify sexism. After all, it’s a slippery slope from believing men and women are different to believing that women are lesser. Over the years, the idea of male and female brains has made it into scientific research. Psychologists at Cambridge used the idea to claim that autism appears in men more than women because they don’t have the same kind of brains. The same thing appeared in a global study by Madhura Ingalhalikar, which claimed that men and women don’t have the same connections in their brains, causing them to have different behaviors. However, there are a lot of problems with studying the brain with this kind of belief. Studies like these all began with the assumption that there are some fundamental differences between brains that create behaviors adding up to a “male brain” or a “female brain.” And there’s really no basis for that assumption at all, which research today is clearly showing. A 2015 analysis of data sets of brain scans done by Daphna Joel showed that the sex differences between men and women’s brains aren’t consistent at all. Humans simply aren’t built with brains that are “female” or “male.” Most people are a mix of both. There are no consistent characteristics that show up only in a man’s brain or only in a women’s. We still think in the same way. Scientists continued brain analysis in 2018 by developing an algorithm that grouped together brains with similar characteristics. As before, there was no clear, defining difference. Both male and female brains could have the same type of characteristics. Psychology studies have backed up the idea that biology doesn’t determine your personality as well. Daphna Joel and other scientists continued their study of male and female brain by analyzing data sets of psychological variable about what worries adolescents. While there were overall differences between genders in how they responded, no one in the survey responded only with “masculine” or “feminine” worries, but rather with a combination of both. No individual person fit completely into one category. The bottom line is that although there are differences between men and women, our brains aren’t one of them. The type of brain doesn’t determine who you are. A man can like traditionally feminine things, a women can like traditionally masculine things, and both genders can like a mix of both. The idea that there’s some biological difference between men and women that’s impossible to overcome has no real basis in science and psychology. There can be general differences seen between men and women in an entire population, but those are more due to gender roles than biology. And gender roles, hopefully, are something that our society can overcome so that there’s no one way that men and women are expected to behave. In the end, the changes that need to be made aren’t inside our brains, but rather in the society around us. Bibliography: Joel, D., & Fine, C. (2018, December 3). Can We Finally Stop Talking About 'Male' and 'Female' Brains? [Web log post]. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/03/opinion/male-female-brains-mosaic.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FPsychology%20and%20Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=collection Photo: https://www.zmescience.com/medicine/male-female-brains-not-different-042323/
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By Anna Wallace Micaela Marini Higgs It can feel naturally awkward to "over hype" yourself after doing something you're proud of. If you just got a 100 on your test you feel weird telling people because you come across as "arrogant" or simply bragging. However giving yourself credit for your achievements is great for your brain! Studies have been showing that keeping a positive perspective on your success encourages better habits and can decrease stress. So why not be proud of yourself? In fact according to Dr. Teresa Amabile, a professor at Harvard Business School, even if you are bad at taking a compliment from other people you can still get major psychological benefits by celebrating achievements on your own! These achievements don't have to be ground breaking accomplishments. Even the little things do a lot, such as getting your homework done quickly. Research shows that some praise can increase your motivation which brings me back to better habits. Compliments can boost performances and improve the brain's ability to learn and repeat useful skills. Dr. Kristin Neff, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas, emphasizes the importance of allowing this form of positivity into your system because naturally humans tend to dwell on their failures rather than achievements. Interestingly, this dates back to some of our oldest ancestors. Neff said our ancestors "who were negative worrywarts were more likely to survive, so our brains are designed to look for problems,”. So yes. Humans really are naturally hardwired to have trouble taking compliments. But recently this has shown to decrease productivity and motivation which ultimately leads to more stress. Then there is the factor of society's message that "it's not good to seem like we're bragging" which makes us limit ourselves in how much compliment ourselves. Compliments can go a long way towards yourself AND other people. You may not even realize it but according to Melody Wilding, a licensed social worker, professor of human behavior at Hunter College, our strengths as humans come naturally to us so we don't realize their value. This is why compliments can be so powerful. This doesn't even have to come from other people! Self respect can come a long way. Higgs, Micaela Marini. "How to Accept a Compliment - Even If It's From Yourself." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Dec. 2018. Web. 11 Dec. 2018. https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj3o-2jqJjfAhXIVN8KHWmCAKMQjxx6BAgBEAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fvalhallamind.com%2Fpersonal-development%2Fsuccess-skills%2F7-killer-actions-boost-self-confidence%2F&psig=AOvVaw2jkTJBM7Pt0al_eInitFkO&ust=1544636164540622 By Lee Federle Everyone knows that it’s nice to get compliments. What’s less known is that research has proven that positive feedback decreases stress, encourages better habits, and can help you accomplish more. In fact, compliments are so beneficial that a lot of companies use praise to boost revenue. This helps keep their employees motivated and happy and encourages them to continue putting in their best effort. Receiving compliments can even help your brain remember and repeat new skills.
Even though compliments are good for us, a lot of us struggle to accept them. We don’t want to come off as arrogant, so most people tend to brush them off. This may not seem like a big deal, but when you try to debunk the compliments you receive by disagreeing with them or undermining them, you are reinforcing the part of your brain that focuses on your mistakes (fun fact: our brains naturally focus on our failures because in the past the humans who worried more were more likely to survive). Instead, you should accept the compliment and try your best to believe it— this can be as easy as saying ‘thank you’ or asking a follow-up question— as this will result in all the positive benefits for your brain that I wrote about above. So now we know that receiving compliments from others is valuable, but what about giving yourself compliments? It may sound weird, but acknowledging your own achievements can actually be even better for your brain than receiving praise from someone else. Studies have shown that small setbacks have negative impacts three to four times higher than the positive impacts of small accomplishments. This means that it is crucial to highlight our accomplishments as much as possible, as our brains clearly need all the encouragement they can get. It’s also important to understand that ‘accomplishments’ don’t need to be big. Whether it’s about school, work, or personal life, congratulating yourself on getting small things done is a great way to keep yourself motivated and continuing to achieve. Another way to reinforce the positive side of your brain is to keep a daily list of your accomplishments. Again, you’re probably not accomplishing huge feats every day— your daily list will most likely include things like finally cleaning your room or emailing that teacher that you’ve been meaning to talk to. No matter how small the achievement, giving yourself credit for these things doesn’t just help your mood and productivity, but also can come in handy in situations where we’re asked to list accomplishments, like job interviews or college applications (again, our brains focus on our mistakes and tend to forget our accomplishments, so writing them down is a good idea). Lists are also beneficial because you can look for patterns in them to figure out where to put your time and energy. Finally, it’s a good idea to get comfortable talking about our accomplishments with other people without feeling cocky or boastful. This could mean taking time once and a while to talk to a friend, parent or teacher about something you recently accomplished. Being able to confidently talk about successes is a good skill to have when it comes to things like job interviews, where you are often asked to discuss your achievements. Talking about successes as well as failures can also make you better at receiving constructive criticism. In conclusion, accepting compliments, whether they’re from peers, family, teachers, or even ourselves, is something we could all work on. It improves mood, motivation, and productivity, and helps us know that we’re on the right track with what we’re doing. Now that you know how valuable receiving compliments is, hopefully you’ll consider giving more compliments in the future too— you never know when someone might need that extra boost! Higgs, M. M. (2018, December 04). How to Accept a Compliment - Even if It's From Yourself. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/04/smarter-living/how-to-accept-a-compliment.html?rref=collection/timestopic/Psychology and Psychologists&action=click&contentCollection=health®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.teamworkandleadership.com/2017/07/the-power-of-compliments-4-tips-for-leaders-and-teammates-great-video.html By: Emma Moll
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Ms. Carrigan's Psych ClassWe have been reading articles about psychological studies to inform the way we live our lives. Please explore, and we hope you learn a bit about the psychology in your life! Categories
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