Frankfurt, 19.10.

2001

Female and male brains

(an outline)

by Serge Ginger

Introduction

Now, I introduce myself:

IM Secretary general of the French Umbrella for Psychotherapy (FFdP) and Registrar of the
EAP;
Ive worked, during some years, as UNESCO expert in the field of Special Education;
Im a Gestalt Therapist and President of the International Federation of Gestalt Training
Organizations (FORGE)
and Im personally interested, since about 20 years, in the neuroscience research.

Ive been asked to say some words about Female and male Brains and Ill try to explain why
the female psychotherapists are better than the male ones, as Cornelia already said!

*****
Two lectures at the same time
Well! So, youre lucky this afternoon: youll have two lectures in a short time, both lecture at
the same time!

In fact, I already began: right now, men and women havent heard the same things:

Hearing with both hemispheres

For instance, in average of course (with many individual variations) women hear me twice as
loud (2,3 more loud) as men. So, they hear me shouting (and they think Im angry) while men
have the feeling Im speaking in a confidential manner, with some kind of complicity

The women hear me with both their hemispheres (left brain and right brain), while men listen
to me with mostly their left brain verbal, logic and with criticism. Women have more
links between the two hemispheres and my speech is colored with emotions, perceived
subjectively through their wishes and their fears, through their ethical or social values (like
feminism!). They hear what Im saying, but mostly how: sensitive to the tune of my voice, to
the rhythm of my breath

Two different species

To speak frankly, we belong to two different species. In our times, we just finish the
deciphering of the human genome and you perhaps know that its proofed that humans and
monkeys have about the same genetic inheritance: common at a rate of 98,4 % which
means only 1,6 % of differences between men and monkeys (male monkeys), while there is 5
% difference between men and women! So, a human male is physiologically more near to a
monkey than to a woman! And, of course, woman is near to a female monkey!

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 Of course, such provocative and quantitative calculations neglect the qualitative aspect: for
instance, the genes which contribute to development of language, art, philosophy, etc. but
they underline the big gap between genders within all animal species, including human
species. This gender identity is different from sexual identity.

Usually, I teach to my students the impact of Brain functioning on psychotherapy, during a

four days workshop (with some demonstrations), but to day, Ive only some minutes to
mention it rapidly.

Right brain is masculine

All researchers of all countries agree now to consider that :
the left brain is more developed among women ;
the right brain, more developed among men contrary to what is often said by general
public! Its under the influence of sexual hormones and neurotransmitters (testosterone, etc.).

So, the woman is more involved in verbal sharing, and the man is more prepared for an
action. Already, in the kindergarten, during 50 minutes of a class, small girls talk during 15
minutes and boys, only 4 minutes (four times less). Boys are rowdy 5 minutes, they fight 10
times more often than the girls : 30 seconds, in average. When they are 9 years old, girls are
18 months ahead.
When they are adults, women talk in average 20 minutes at each phone call, while men speak
only 6 minutes, just to give an information. The woman needs to share her ideas, feelings,
emotions, while the man withdraw and control his emotions and try to find a solution. He
interrupts his wife to propose a solution and the wife dont feel to be listened to. In fact,
men are more emotional than women, but they dont express their emotions.

Plan of the continuation

Sense organs
Sight: more developed among men
Hearing: more developed among women
Olfaction (smell): much more developed among women
VNO (Vomero Nasal Organ): chemical organ (pheromones)
Orientation: much more developed among men

Troubles and diseases

Women: depression, phobias, anorexia, bulimia,
Men: delinquency, enuresis,

Explanation by the Theory of Evolution (hypothesis)

Man > hunting and war
Woman > Education of the children

Nature and nurture

Ontogenesis/Philogenesis
Importance of the first months of pregnancy
Studies on twins (2/3 of heredity, 1/3 of freedom)

Impact of Testosterone (male hormone)

Strength of muscles

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 Speed
Aggression, competition
Endurance, tenacity
Healing of wounds
Vision (far away)
Right side of the body (and fingerprints)
Throwing with precision
Orientation
Attraction by a young female (able to give birth)

Influence of Estrogens (female hormone)

Dexterity, separate movements of fingers
Hearing, larger range of sounds, music, sing in tune 6 times more often,
Smell (100 times stronger)
Nomination of colors
Memory of the localization of things
Attraction by a dominant male, strong, experienced, socially recognized, i.e. older.

A ball on the ground : boys shoot, girls clasp it to their chest

Some applications on psychotherapy

listen a woman with patience until she is finished, without trying to solve her problem
encourage the man to speak more and to express his emotions
Underline the importance of sight for men and of hearing for women, especially in erotic
preliminary
The woman needs in average one hour more of sleeping
To make love accelerate healing of wounds
Stimulation helps healing > install patients near a window. No passive retirement (pension)
Body oriented therapies : movement > right brain > limbic brain > emotions > deep
engrammation of experince
Woman needs intimacy to appreciate sexuality
Man needs sexuality to appreciate intimacy.

Conclusion
Necessity to update in permanence our knowledge about neuroscientific research
Its probably not so indifferent to work with a male or female therapist: it does matter, it
makes the difference!
Our perception of the world is very different but pleasantly complementary!

Serge Ginger
Short Bibliography

BADINTER lisabeth. XY, de lidentit masculine. Odile Jacob, Paris, 92. (318 p.)

BRACONNIER Alain. Le sexe des emotions. Odile Jacob, Paris, 96. (212 p.)

DURDEN-SMITH Jo & DE SIMONE Diane. Sex and the Brain.

Trad. franc. Le sexe et le cerveau, d. La Presse, Ottawa, 85. (270 p.)

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 GINGER Serge & Anne. La Gestalt, une thrapie du contact. Hommes & Groupes, Paris 87
(6e edition : 2000). (535 p.)

GINGER Serge. La Gestalt, lart du contact. Guide de poche Marabout,

Bruxelles, 1995. 4e edition : 2000. (290 p.)

GRAY John.
Trad. franc. Les Hommes viennent de Mars, les femmes viennent de Vnus.
Jai lu poche.

JANOV Arthur. The Biology of Love. Prometheus Books. New York, 2000
Trad. franc. La Biologie de lamour. d. du Rocher, 2001. (378 p.)

KIMURA Doreen. Sex and Cognition. MIT Press,, Cambridge, Massachusets, 1999.
Trad. franc. Cerveau dhomme, cerveau de femme ? Odile Jacob, Paris, 96. (250 p.)

LE VAY Simon. The Sexual Brain. MIT Press,, Cambridge, Massachusets, 1993.
Trad. franc. Le Cerveau a-t-il un sexe ?. Flammarion, 1994. (236 p.)