The Female Brain

Sarah believed her husband, Nick, was cheating on her. She was miserable, but he did not notice until she broke out crying. Brizendine describes how Sarah might have mirrored Nick to better interpret his emotional response and how she analyzed his tone and eye movements to realize he’s lied about developing feelings for a coworker. While Sarah interpreted Nick’s emotions, Nick could not interpret hers. Brizendine states that male humans are less able to read facial expressions, while female humans can intuit the feelings of those around them—a process attributed to the increased number of cells devoted to tracking female body sensations. These gut feelings are processed in the insula and the anterior cingulate cortex, and they create an emotional response. Brizendine compares gut feelings to mind reading. For example, Jane intuited her husband’s focus on work when he had not yet noticed his own thoughts. She also intuited his plans to switch careers and become a judge. Men do not have the same gut feelings, as depicted through Evan moving too quickly for Jane’s comfort. Evan’s female friend noticed Jane’s discomfort—a skill called “emotional congruence,” which Brizendine says is inherent in female humans.