Stress causes men and women to respond differently to risky decision making, with men charging ahead for small rewards and women taking their time, according to a new study in Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, published by Oxford University Press.
Brain imaging showed that men’s brains were activated in reward/addiction areas while women’s brain activity in those areas decreased under stress. In other words, men’s brains acted like it was more fun, women’s less.
Whose brain would you want on your side during, say, a national crisis? I know which I’d choose: slow but sure wins the race.
Well that sure explains a few things…
I wonder if there would be less dramatic economic cycles and more done for climate change if women’s brains were in charge.
Yes, there’s surely an attachment to objective reality there to see stressful situations as not much fun.