Society loves to push the narrative that men are rational while women are overly-emotional, cry at everything, and can’t be trusted to make decisions. It forces women to ditch their biology and their natural instincts in order to be valued or validated in the same way a man is.
Sometimes we might look at our dads, brothers, friends, partners, and wonder, “How the heck are you so calm?”. We might even become frustrated with the fact that we’re upset and they’re not. This leads us to think things like..."Why do they not care as much as we do? Why do we care as much as we do?". All of these questions can lead us to feel unvalued, unloved, and difficult to engage with.
The truth is that, our brains are not the same as a mens brains, and we shouldn’t expect ourselves to behave and feel as they do. Learning how your brain works as a woman is one of the first steps that you can take to owning your feminine power.
Here are three ways our brains are different:
#1 - Women have larger prefrontal cortexes than men.
That region in your brain that we all studied in our intro to psychology classes is making an appearance in this article. Our prefrontal cortex is actually much larger for women than men.
The prefrontal cortex is the area in the brain that regulates emotions, controls our impulses, and maintains our focus. Women are much more likely to engage in emotion-based thinking, which leads us to overthink because it is a larger part of the brain.
#2 - Women have more white matter in the brain while men have more grey matter.
This means that men’s thinking is more localized, which is the grey matter, while women have a greater number of neuronal connections, which is the white matter. We are actually using more of our brain to make decisions, empathize, and connect with other people.
Women also tend to have stronger intuitions as a result of them being able to use different aspects of their brain when they think as a result of having more white matter.
So while men have the capacity to be compassionate and empathetic, it comes more naturally to women, while it needs to be practiced in men. Being emotional is by no means a bad thing, but rather a beautiful tool to help create meaningful relationships with others. Although we might hate our emotional nature when it hurts us, it can be a gift as well.
#3 - Women produce 50% less serotonin than men
Our good friend serotonin, we love her and we need her. She is that hormone that helps us feel happy and have a good night's sleep. Our body's ability to produce serotonin is directly linked to our quality of life and happiness. Because we produce less serotonin than men, it means that we need to work harder at this. This is why it's so important that we don't neglect our needs and are making sure that we are waking up and optimizing our days so that we can feel our best.
Now, the next time you’re feeling upset that you are not as chill as your boyfriend after an upsetting situation, remember that it is your nature to be emotional. Being empathetic, kind, and compassionate is a gift. You do not have the same brain as a man and that is totally natural and okay. Do not fight against your nature but instead, learn to work with it. The key is developing coping mechanisms that help regulate your emotions so they do not consume you.
If you are ready to learn how to work with your brain so that you can step into the woman that you are meant to be, I encourage you to book a free brain health assessment with me by CLICKING HERE.