New Men Vs. Women Brain Study: Active Part of Brain During Stress

Different Areas of Brain Are Activated in Men and Women When Under Stress

Researches at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have just completed a new study to demonstrate that women and men respond to psychological stress differently and in different parts of the brain.

The researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have learned that different areas in the temporal lobes are activated for men and women when both genders are involved in "performance-related" stress tasks. The research suggests that men and women may respond fundamentally differently from each other when faced with stress. Men characteristically respond to stressors through their "fight-or-flight" response, while women characteristically respond with their "tend-and-befriend" response. The scientists believe that findings show the evolutionary differences between men and women. Throughout history, men have more traditionally had to respond to stressors by either overpowering it or fleeing from it, as in the cases of hunting for food or combating in war. This "fight-or-flight" response triggers an increase in cortisol production, the hormone that is the main stress system hormone.

On the other hand, women throughout history have been faced with stressors that generally require them to respond by nurturing or interacting, such as nurturing children or interacting in social groups.