The Female Brain (book)
Encyclopedia
The Female Brain is a book by Louann Brizendine, whose main thesis is that women’s behavior is different from that of men due to hormonal
differences. Brizendine says that the human female brain is affected by the following hormones: estrogen
, progesterone
, testosterone
, (oxytocin), neurotransmitters (dopamine
, serotonin
), and difference in architecture of the brain
(prefrontal cortex
, hypothalamus
, amygdale) that regulates such hormones and neurotransmitters.
Brizendine's book includes seven chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific part of a woman’s life such as puberty, motherhood, and menopause or a specific dimension of a women’s emotional life such as feelings, love & trust, and sex. The book also includes three appendices on hormone therapy
, postpartum depression
, and sexual orientation
.
Some of the authors that criticized the content of the book include:
Academic feminists have given mixed reviews to The Female Brain. Brizendine was given the tongue-in-cheek 2006 Becky Award
, which is given to "people or organizations who have made outstanding contributions to linguistic misinformation." The award cited errors in The Female Brain, including one sentence (removed in future printings) which contrasted the number of words used by men and women in one day. The numbers had been taken from a book by a self-help guru and were incorrect.
The phonetician Mark Liberman
has formulated an extensive criticism of Brizendine's approach in a series of blog comments, starting with, and continuing with a long series of blog articles listed here.
Hormone
A hormone is a chemical released by a cell or a gland in one part of the body that sends out messages that affect cells in other parts of the organism. Only a small amount of hormone is required to alter cell metabolism. In essence, it is a chemical messenger that transports a signal from one...
differences. Brizendine says that the human female brain is affected by the following hormones: estrogen
Estrogen
Estrogens , oestrogens , or œstrogens, are a group of compounds named for their importance in the estrous cycle of humans and other animals. They are the primary female sex hormones. Natural estrogens are steroid hormones, while some synthetic ones are non-steroidal...
, progesterone
Progesterone
Progesterone also known as P4 is a C-21 steroid hormone involved in the female menstrual cycle, pregnancy and embryogenesis of humans and other species...
, testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
, (oxytocin), neurotransmitters (dopamine
Dopamine
Dopamine is a catecholamine neurotransmitter present in a wide variety of animals, including both vertebrates and invertebrates. In the brain, this substituted phenethylamine functions as a neurotransmitter, activating the five known types of dopamine receptors—D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5—and their...
, serotonin
Serotonin
Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is a monoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived from tryptophan, serotonin is primarily found in the gastrointestinal tract, platelets, and in the central nervous system of animals including humans...
), and difference in architecture of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
(prefrontal cortex
Cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is a sheet of neural tissue that is outermost to the cerebrum of the mammalian brain. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness. It is constituted of up to six horizontal layers, each of which has a different...
, hypothalamus
Hypothalamus
The Hypothalamus is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions...
, amygdale) that regulates such hormones and neurotransmitters.
Brizendine's book includes seven chapters. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific part of a woman’s life such as puberty, motherhood, and menopause or a specific dimension of a women’s emotional life such as feelings, love & trust, and sex. The book also includes three appendices on hormone therapy
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy, or hormonal therapy is the use of hormones in medical treatment. Treatment with hormone antagonists may also referred to as hormonal therapy...
, postpartum depression
Postpartum depression
Postpartum depression , also called postnatal depression, is a form of clinical depression which can affect women, and less frequently men, typically after childbirth. Studies report prevalence rates among women from 5% to 25%, but methodological differences among the studies make the actual...
, and sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
.
Reception
Some of the authors that supported the content of the book include:- Deborah Tannen, in Washington Post.
- Sarah Hrdy, author of Mother Nature.
- Daniel GolemanDaniel GolemanDaniel Jay Goleman is an author, psychologist, and science journalist. For twelve years, he wrote for The New York Times, specializing in psychology and brain sciences. He is the author of more than 10 books on psychology, education, science, and leadership.-Life:Goleman was born in Stockton,...
author of Emotional IntelligenceEmotional intelligenceEmotional intelligence is a skill or ability in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. Various models and definitions have been proposed of which the ability and trait EI models are the most...
. - Christiane Northrup, author of The Wisdom of Menopause.
- Marilyn Yalom, author of A History of the Breast.
Some of the authors that criticized the content of the book include:
- Evan Balaban and Rebecca M. Young, in a review in Nature
- Cordelia FineCordelia FineCordelia Fine is an Australian academic psychologist and writer. She is the author of two books on neuroscience, several book chapters and numerous academic publications...
, in her book Delusions of GenderDelusions of GenderDelusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society, and Neurosexism Create Difference is a book by Cordelia Fine published in 2010 which criticizes current evidence for innate biological differences between men and women's minds as being faulty and exaggerated, and argues that cultural and societal...
Academic feminists have given mixed reviews to The Female Brain. Brizendine was given the tongue-in-cheek 2006 Becky Award
Language Log
Language Log is a collaborative language blog maintained by University of Pennsylvania phonetician Mark Liberman.The site is updated daily at the whims of the contributors, and most of the posts are on language use in the media and popular culture. Google search results are frequently used as a...
, which is given to "people or organizations who have made outstanding contributions to linguistic misinformation." The award cited errors in The Female Brain, including one sentence (removed in future printings) which contrasted the number of words used by men and women in one day. The numbers had been taken from a book by a self-help guru and were incorrect.
The phonetician Mark Liberman
Mark Liberman
Mark Liberman is an American linguist. He has a dual appointment at the University of Pennsylvania, as Trustee Professor of Phonetics in the Department of Linguistics, and as a professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. He is the founder and director of the Linguistic Data...
has formulated an extensive criticism of Brizendine's approach in a series of blog comments, starting with, and continuing with a long series of blog articles listed here.