Two Day Magazine

Maybe we aren't so different, after all...

Think you and your guy are completely different?  The truth is, you're not. Not really, anyway. Physically, there's more similarity than you know. The great sexual divide is not as great as we think; in fact, it is getting smaller all the time. Despite antiquated ideas that men and women are totally different, science is finding that not only are the sexes more alike than was formerly thought, but that the two groups compensate and adapt when there is a marked difference.

The brains of male and female humans both begin as female and that only changes after the eighth week in utero. So, technically we start off the same. There’s more to the physical sameness in physical ability of men and women than previously thought.

During a discussion on The Oprah Winfrey Show last year, Dr. Mehmet Oz explained how male runners do have more endurance than their female counterparts. It has to do with muscle mass and bigger lung capacity. This aids men in being able to run faster.

However, females need not feel as if they are the weaker sex; Dr. Oz also explained that women, through training and consistent running are able to catch up rapidly with the men. This is due to the fact that a positive change in fitness, (exercising, running, etc.), shows up faster in women’s bodies and helps to equal the field, so to speak. Women are also better endurance runners.

And, there’s more. According to studies done by the American Psychological Association over a twenty year period, the two sexes are more similar in personality, communication, cognitive ability, and leadership than realized.

Stereotypes of women as more nurturing also were examined and it was found that men are equally as nurturing. The same held true for aggressive behavior - a woman is just as aggressive as a man when the need arises. And, women only seem more emotional because it has always been more acceptable socially for them to cry than for men to do so.

So, while some say we’re from different planets, (you know the “women are from Venus and men are from Mars” theory), it seems that there are some recent studies that beg to differ with that idea. Whether for good or bad, we’re much more alike than we know.

There’s a saying from India which pretty much sums up males and females as not only alike but equals:

‘The lion’s cubs are lions all, male and female alike. Both have teeth and claws.’

****************************

© 2011 Copyright Kristen Houghton
Kristen Houghton is a Lifestyle writer and the author of the best-selling book, And Then I'll Be Happy! Stop Sabotaging Your Happiness and Put Your Own Life First