Are women or men smarter?

Which sex is smarter? A taboo question that science has tried to answer.

In a previous article we wondered about the psychological differences between men and women. Today we ask ourselves, without taboos or ambiguities, which of them is more intelligent.

Are women or men more intelligent?

Much has been said about this topic, and in this article we have set out to shed some light on a controversy full of clichés. Are men or women more intelligent?

Are women better at multitasking, but less skilled at reading a map? Undoubtedly, men and women have different ways of behaving. A number of theories have been proposed to discriminate the differences between the sexes.. These differences are often discussed on the basis of brain dissimilarity; here is a summary of these factors.

The human brain contains between 10 and 15 billion nerve cells called neurons, and one trillion synapses, which are the connectors between neurons. However, the brain functions in a way that is still unknown to medical science, and it is therefore difficult to pinpoint how relevant the physical differences between humans are or how much they contribute to their behavior.

The brain: small differences

Women have a brain slightly smaller than men (on average about 100 grams lighter). However, it is already known that size is not everything. Elephants, for example, have much larger brains than humans, but as far as is known, no one suggests that they may have higher intelligence. And although the female brain weighs a little less than the male, Both genders have a similar ratio of brain weight to body weight..

Women have 4% fewer brain cells than men, which does not mean that they use less of their brain capacity.

Another important difference is found in the frontal lobe. This is responsible for making judgments, predictions, planning future actions and language. Women have a greater number of cells in this region than men.

The cerebral hemispheres

It is often said that the cerebral hemispheres have clearly differentiated functions. The left hemisphere is in charge of analytical data processing, while the right hemisphere operates holistically, encompassing judgments with judgments with the right hemisphere.encompassing judgments with emotions. Men tend to have left hemisphere-dominant brains; however, women use both hemispheres in a more balanced way.

The corpus callosum transmits information to both hemispheres. Women have a larger corpus callosum than men, which may explain why women score higher on tests that assess speed of thought and speech.

The limbic system affects our emotions and tends to be larger in women. Also, the female brain's greater capacity for transmitting information between the two hemispheres makes women more emotionally sensitive. The larger limbic system also means that they feel negative emotions more acutely, which is why they are at greater risk of depression.

Gray matter and white matter

Information processing is carried out in the gray matter. White matter is responsible for connecting different parts of the brain, making it easier for us to perform various tasks. Women tend to have more white matter than men, while men are endowed with more gray matter.. Intelligent, each in their own way.

The hypothalamus controls the endocrine system, which produces most of the hormones in the body. It regulates important functions such as sex, sleep, body temperature... In men, the hypothalamus is almost twice as large, and contains twice as many cells as the female hypothalamus.