SURPRISE! OUR BRAINS ARE DIFFERENT
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Eph.4:2“It’s perfectly logical,” insisted my husband as I rolled my eyes during his explanation of how to do my tax return. “If you would file everything each time you pay a bill, you wouldn’t have this annual meltdown. You would be able to find what you need instantly. Why is that so hard for you to do?”For some reason, Jim’s mini-lecture struck me as funny and I burst out laughing, “I’m sorry,” I said. “I know it’s perfectly logical for you, and I do try, but I just don’t function like that!”
Ever found yourself in a similar situation?
- Understand Me, Please
When we marry we expect to be understood. But if we marry our polar opposite, instead of living in harmony we too frequently misunderstand each other. Confused and frustrated, our different viewpoints easily trigger blow-ups that are out of all proportion to the initial irritation.When these conflicts happen, you might quickly find yourself muttering, “What is his problem? Why does he look at the situation that way? Doesn’t he realize how his response makes me feel?” At the same time, your spouse is likely muttering, “Why does she react like that? What makes her read criticism into what I just said? Why can’t she just take my statement at face value and not look for hidden meanings?
- Nature/Nurture Differences
Not long ago there was a general assumption that differences between men and women were related more to nurture than nature. Social scientists believed and taught that girls gravitated to dolls because these were the toys provided by their mothers. In addition, girls watched their mothers bear and care for babies. As a result, this powerful modeling influenced them to delight in babies and desire to become mothers themselves.If these circumstances were changed, went the theory, then girls would be just like boys in their interests and priorities. And, of course, the opposite was considered true. Give a boy a doll and other opportunities to get in touch with his feminine side, and he would be more outwardly emotional and caring.Although there is much to be said for encouraging girls to excel in boy-dominated activities—like sports and science—and for boys to develop a nurturing spirit, the nature/nurture theory is being proven wrong.Surprise! Our Brains ARE DifferentToday, using devices such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), autopsies and other methods, brain research validates again what Scripture asserts. God created us male and female. We are not the same. There are physical and chemical differences between the male and female brain. These differences impact:
- How we think
- How we feel
- How we behave
They also account for many of those screams of frustration, slammed doors, and silent treatments which erupt when your calm, understanding self can no longer cope.
Let’s Talk. Now you know men are wired differently (physically and chemically), how does it help you get a grip and try to understand them? What different reactions could YOU work on?Life is full of growth—if we’re open to it. :)More to come next time,Poppy[Tweet "When we marry, we expect to be understood. What if we marry our polar opposite?"][Tweet "God created us male and female. There are physical and chemical differences between our brains."]Photo credit: Dollar Photo Club