The essential difference : the truth about the male and female brain

We all appreciate that there are differences in the typical psychology of men and women. Yet underlying these subtle differences, Simon Baron-Cohen believes, there is one essential difference, and it affects everything we do: Men have a tendency to analyze and construct systems while women are inclined to empathize. With fresh evidence for these claims, Baron-Cohen explores how these sex differences arise more from biological than cultural causes and shows us how each brain type contributes in various ways to what we think of as "intelligence." Emphasizing that not all men have the typically "male" brain, which he calls Type "S," and not all women have the typically female brain (Type "E"), Baron-Cohen explores the cutting-edge research that illuminates our individual differences and explains why a truly "balanced" brain is so rare. Filled with surprising and illuminating case studies, many from Baron-Cohen's own clinical practice, The Essential Difference moves beyond the stereotypes to elucidate over twenty years of groundbreaking research. From gossip to aggression, Baron-Cohen dissects each brain type and even presents a new theory that autism (as well as its close relative, Asperger's syndrome) can be understood as an extreme form of the male brain. Smart and engaging, this is the thinking person's guide to gender difference, a book that promises to change the conversation about-and between-men and women.

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Should the title fail to express Baron-Cohen's certainty about gender differences, the Cambridge Univ. professor of psychology and psychiatry lays out his controversial thesis on page one: "The female brain is predominantly hard-wired for empathy. The male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems." Defending this bold view is a tough but engaging battle, one that's alleviated by Baron-Cohen's disclaimer that his conclusions refer to statistical majorities rather than "all men" and "all women," but exacerbated by his habit of simultaneously skirting and employing gender stereotypes. His copious evidence ranges from the anecdotal to the anthropological, and from the neurological to the case study (the author and his research team conducted many of these studies). Not all his support fully convinces: e.g., the music-classifying habits of novelist Nick Hornby's High Fidelity protagonist isn't confirmation of the male brain's predisposition to systems-building. After acknowledging cultural and social influences on gender differences, Baron-Cohen "surfs the brain" (and offers evidence from a number of studies, both human and animal) to establish a biological link. But if male rats navigate their way through mazes more easily than female rats, does that mean men are better at directions than women? His speculations on how binary brain types have evolved over the eons, which have the male brain co-opting traits like power and leadership, leaving the female brain with gossip and motherhood, may ruffle a few feathers. Perhaps the most refreshing section of this cerebral volume is devoted to what he calls "extreme" examples of the male brain-autism and its cousin, Asperger's syndrome. The author of previous autism books, including Mindblindness, Baron-Cohen offers curious lay readers a provocative discussion of male-female differences. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

《图书馆杂志》(Library Journal )书评

Trying to define the differences between how men and women think and behave is a daunting task too often typified by the Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus school of literary thought. Delving into the topic from a rigorously scientific perspective and presenting a simple but compelling vision of what defines the male vs. the female brain, Baron-Cohen (psychology & psychiatry, Cambridge Univ.) draws together a vast array of research in this highly readable and thought-provoking book. He describes the typical male brain as hard-wired for systematizing and the female brain as hard-wired for empathizing, hence the typically male preoccupation with statistical information, facts, and understanding how things work and the correspondingly female interest in social relations, emotional responses, and what makes people work. This is evidenced by the high proportion of men compared with women in the hard sciences (mathematics, physics) and the reverse in more care giving fields, such as nursing, child care, and psychology. Research in the areas of brain development, autism, Asperger's syndrome, and early childhood development, as well as observation of everyday experiences, are used to support the author's thesis. Baron-Cohen, who codirects the Cambridge Autism Research Centre, posits that autism, with its tendencies of low empathy toward others and extreme systematizing, is an extreme form of the male brain. Written in an engaging style, this book both fascinates and informs. Recommended for all public and academic libraries.-David Valencia, King Cty. Lib. Syst., WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

List of Figures	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
1 The Male and Female Brain	p. 1
2 Boy Meets Girl	p. 13
3 What Is Empathizing?	p. 21
4 The Female Brain as Empathizer: The Evidence	p. 29
5 What Is Systemizing?	p. 61
6 The Male Brain as Systemizer: The Evidence	p. 69
7 Culture	p. 85
8 Biology	p. 95
9 Evolution of the Male and Female Brain	p. 117
10 Autism: The Extreme Male Brain	p. 133
11 A Professor of Mathematics	p. 155
12 The Extreme Female Brain: Back to the Future	p. 171
Appendix 1 The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test	p. 187
Appendix 2 The Empathy Quotient (EQ)	p. 201
Appendix 3 The Systemizing Quotient (SQ)	p. 209
Appendix 4 The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)	p. 217
References	p. 223
Bibliography	p. 235
Index	p. 265

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