11/14/12

Differences Between Men & Women

Men and women are not the same.  Although some people would like to believe they are, it just is not how we were created.  This does not mean I believe and support all gender stereotypes, in fact I think a lot are just plain silly.  However, to say men and women are the same, that is just absurd!  Since being married I've noticed a lot of things that make my husband and I different from each other   From the way we solve problems, the way we remember, and other little things.

Source
My husband works in a very physical and rough environment.  He's a diesel mechanic, so getting fingers smashed, hands scraped, and cuts are every day occurrences   I noticed however, that the stories behind his cuts and injuries were often pretty interesting.  "Yea I was working on this truck and apparently cut my finger.  I didn't notice I was bleeding until I was done replacing this valve." or "I scrapped my hand really bad, and it bled quite awhile.  Then I forgot until I washed my hands and got soap in it."  Whereas I can get a smaller cut, notice it right away, and have to put a band-aid on it to forget about it.  So I started to wonder, is this just us, or is there more to this?  This is what I found.

Men:

  • greater upper body strength
  • build muscle easily
  • have thicker skin
  • bruise less easily
  • lower threshold of awareness of injuries to their extremities
  • built for physical confrontation and use of force
  • joints are well suited for throwing objects
  • skull is usually thicker and stronger
  • solving problems presents an opportunity to demonstrate their competence, strength of resolve, and commit to a relationship
  • how a problem is solved is not as important as solving it effectively and in the best possible manner
  • tend to dominate and to assume authority in a problem solving process
  • set aside their feelings provided the hierarchy was agreed upon in advance and respected
  • often distracted when problem solving and don't attend well to the quality of their relationships
  • usually taller and heavier
  • more body hair than women
  • better distance vision and depth perception and usually better vision in lighted environments
  • performs better on tests of spatial and mathematical ability
  • tend to be more physically aggressive
  • prone to taking risks
  • larger waist in comparison to their hips
  • denser, stronger bones, tendons and ligaments
  • longer canine teeth
  • pelvis more optimized for walking
  • larger tracheae and branching bronchi, with about 56% greater lung volume per body mass
  • larger hearts
  • 10% higher red blood cell count
  • higher hemoglobin, hence greater oxygen-carrying capacity
  • higher circulating clotting factors, leads to faster healing of wounds and higher peripheral pain tolerance
  • skin is thicker and oilier, slightly darker
As a not this these are all average things.  On average men are taller and heavier but there are exceptions.  I find it completely fascinating that men have a lower awareness of injuries to their extremities, how fitting is that for men?  When men worked much more physical jobs than today it would have been a good advantage.  I also think this list creates a very good picture of how God created men to be.  Protectors.  They were made to be fighters, to be problem solvers and physically rough.  Something that was slightly mentioned, but I (as a geek) find interesting is men's beards.  A lot of people think that men's beards are to make men seem larger, and something women could use to determine a mans age and attractiveness.  This could be partially true but if it was because of the weather.  My husband is currently sporting a beard, and I had to ask.  Is your face really warmer with a beard?!  The answer was...yes!  Now, the way my brain processes this is, God knew men would be out in the elements.  Working out in the cold, so he gave them a built in ski mask.  Something to protect his face from the elements.  I find it utterly fascinating!  Now for women...

Women:
  • mature faster than men
  • larger hip section
  • pelvis is wide, in fact any wider and women would be unable to walk properly
  • skin is warmer
  • more pain receptors per cm
  • thyroid is larger and more active, enlarges during menstruation and pregnancy which makes her more prone to goiters, but provides resistance to cold
  • blood contains more water
  • more sensitive to sound
  • more body fat
  • have better night vision, see better at the red end of the light spectrum
  • better visual memory
  • better at memory and verbal ability
  • four times as many brain cells connecting the right and left side of their brain
  • can focus on more than one problem at a time
  • solving a problem can profoundly impact whether they feel closer and less alone or whether they feel distant and less connected
  • solving a problem can weaken or strengthen relationship
  • larger stomach, kidneys, liver and appendix but smaller lungs
  • ability to not only birth children, but feed children
  • better equipped for receiving, experiencing and recalling emotional experiences
  • part of brain responsible for regulating emotions, including aggression, is larger
  • more empathetic
  • better self control
  • enhanced awareness of emotionally relevant details, visual cues, verbal nuances, and hidden meanings.
  • more likely to navigate by using landmarks
These differences are so interesting.  How interesting is it that on average women have warmer skin?  It seems odd, but think of it.  We're the ones holding babies close keeping them warm!  We're more sensitive to sound, which makes sense as to detect if our babies were ever in distress.  Whether it's something you are happy with or not, women's list of characteristics leads into being someone who bears and raises children and nurtures those around her.

When you look at the way both men and women are created it's interesting to see that where one gender fall short, the other rises above.  Men are more physically strong, but women excel in communication.  God made us so we fit together and compliment each other.  With my supersonic hearing, I can alert my husband so he can physically confront the offending intruder!

Are there any other differences you've noticed between men and women? Feel free to share in the comments!

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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Very interesting stuff! Sounds like God knew what He was doing. ;)