Not a myth: women are better at multitasking

How different is our brains? why men are better at reading maps while women are better at multitasking?

Nowadays, with the advent of internet and the significant advances in science and technology, the necessity of multitasking in order to save time has become more pressing than ever. A recent study looking at the “connectomes” of the sexes, has confirmed what we have known all along – men and women think differently. Our brain is one of the most complex organs in the body comprised of different segments; cerebrum and cerebellum which are responsible for thinking and actions respectively. Both cerebrum and cerebellum are divided into right and left hemisphere. The left hemisphere is responsible for logical and mathematical thoughts while the right hemisphere deals with feelings and intuitions.

Video Credit: MooMoo Math and Science

Researchers from University of Pennsylvania conducted a study on the brain of 521 females and 428 males and revealed the facts behind the better performance of women in multitasking which is due to the pattern of connections between different parts of their brains. As we see in the picture the connections in men’s brain (top) in cerebrum are different from those in women’s brain (bottom).Generally speaking, women’s brain have higher connectivity between the left and right hemispheres, whereas men’s brain has more connections between back and front within a hemisphere. The only Region where men have more left to right connections compared to women is in the cerebellum that plays a crucial role in motor control.

The specific patterns of connections are the best explanation for the functional differences between men and women. The cross connections between the two hemispheres in women’s brain enables them to switch better from one task to another task and it explains the reason why women are better in tasks that involve both logical and intuitive thinking. This is why women are better than men at remembering faces.

On the other hand, in men connections lie within a hemisphere that allow them to concentrate on things that don’t need complex combination from both hemispheres which results in one-track thinking. In addition, the higher connectivity between hemispheres in cerebellum of men gives them better motor skills than women. This is why men are usually better at learning how to swim or parking a car.

The more interesting fact is that the researchers also found that the brains of boys and girls aged 8-13 showed only a few differences, which later became more pronounced in adolescent years. In other words, these variations are not congenital and we are not born this way. Unfortunately, the reason is still unknown, but American government has recently promised to spend a good amount of money for brain research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. The advancement of techniques depends on the development of ways to look into living brains so that better results can be shown.

https://youtu.be/dQy-RB8TFcA

Video Credit: The Journal

–Sahba Mozaffarian