You Show Me Your Amygdala and I'll Show You Mine

Those who were old enough to watch Oprah in the ‘90s likely remember the popular paperback Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.

- Ashlyn Stewart

The book brought discussion about differences between male and female brains into the public sphere, claiming different biology leads to different behaviors.

By the time I had my first sex ed. class, circa 2005, the hypothesis of brain difference had infiltrated our curriculum. We were taught that male brains were like waffles, hyper compartmentalized, and female brains were like spaghetti, with strands of thought tangled in an ever-connected mass. Teenage boys and girls act differently at this age, they explained, simply because their brains are wired differently.

Recent research shows that this theory of inherently different male and female brains desperately needs an update. One of this field’s primary researchers is Dr. Lise Eliot, associate professor of neuroscience at Rosalind Franklin University’s (RFU) Chicago Medical School. Her research seeks to reveal the true story: our brains are very much alike.