The Male Brain [Paperback]

 

 

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While this is an interesting read and worth the time, I was surprised when I opened the book. While it states that the book is 304 pages long, the book itself ends at around page 140 and then it has notes and references for the final 150 pages. I could have used a little more book, and a few less notes...

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"[This book] draws on my twenty-five years of clinical experience as a neuropsychiatrist. It presents research findings from the advances over the past decade in our understanding of developmental neuroendocrinology, genetics, and molecular neuroscience. It offers samplings from neropsychlogy, cognitive neuroscience, child development, brain imaging, and psychoneuroendocrinology. It explores primatology, animal studies, and observation of infants, children, and teens, seeking insights into how particular behaviours are programmed into the male brain by a combination of NATURE and NURTURE."

The above comes from the author of 2006's "The Female Brain," Louann Brizendine, MD. She is a diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is an endowed professor of clinical psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco [UCSF]. She's also founder and director of the Women's Mood and Hormone Clinic and co-director of the UCSF Program in Sexual Medicine.

Each chapter of this book covers some of her male patients at various stages in the life cycle. At every stage such as the mischievous child, the oversexed teen, the middle-aged man who falls for a younger woman, Brizendine gives a theory for how her patient's behaviour is caused by male brain patterns, aided considerably by hormones like testosterone (which she nicknames "Zeus") and vasopressin (the "White Knight").

Brizendine chooses patients who conform to a familiar stereotype and then explains their actions as the work of Zeus and his friends. The result is that her theory is very rigid (just as is the theory she presents in her 2006 book).

In the above quotation from the book, Brizendine promises to look into "NATURE and NURTURE." But she favours nature (behaviour that stems from innate biology) in favour of nurture (behaviour that's learned, personal psychology, and experience) every chance she gets. Thus there are sentences like "Boys are programmed to move" and "He was being biologically bewitched to bond with her." With all the powerful hormones like "Zeus" and the "White Knight," does nurture even stand a chance? From reading this book, the answer seems to be no.

As well, there is no way to tell which differences between males and females are well-established and which are not.

I looked through all the notes and references. (A task that's similar to watching paint dry since the notes and references make up about half of this book.) There is no indication which research is in its infancy and which is solid.

This does not seem to bother Brizendine. She takes weak correlations and turns them into impressive, scientific-sounding "facts."

For example, many of the research studies that the author cites are based on functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) results. There is a problem when doing this since fMRI produces different results under the same testing conditions. (No one is exactly sure as to why.)

Of course, this does not invalidate the results, but it does stop researchers from claiming that the results are conclusive. In addition, how to interpret fMRI results is an ongoing debate.

Finally, on the cover of this book, we are told that this information is "a breakthrough understanding of how men and boys think." How so? Brizendine concludes that the male brain is "built for pursuit, competition, and aggression." There's no "breakthrough" here. All she's done is confirm a stereotype (in addition to simplifying and categorizing).

In conclusion, non-critical thinking readers will thoroughly enjoy this book since it's extremely easy to read. However, critical thinking readers will see its many problems.

{first published 2010; acknowledgments; the male brain (labelled diagram of a brain); cast of neurohormone characters (a listing of hormones and how they affect a man's brain); phases of a male's life (chart); introduction; 7 chapters; epilogue; main narrative 130 pages; appendix; notes; references; index}

<<Stephen Pletko, London, Ontario, Canada>>

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This made so much sense! I definitely understand the male brain better. For instance, i texted one of my friends when i was feeling sad and rather than saying "oh thats too bad, do you want a hug?" He told me what to do. and i was mad. but i remembered this book and forgave him. sometimes guys are annoying because they're made that way. Great book, impossible to argue with. I will definitely read more by this author.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Very insightful
My counsellor recommended this book to me. I read it in 2 days because it was so interesting. Super insightful look at the science behind the male brain, and how changes in the... Read more

Published 6 months ago by Tim Chan

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