Page 88 - Mind Games The Aging Brain and How to Keep it Healthy

72 • Chapter 3

Because most IQ tests measure your linguistic, mathe-
matical, spatial, and logical deduction capabilities, start ex-
ercising those areas of your brain. If you don’t want to take
a formal class, use some word puzzle books, increase your
vocabulary, start writing your life story, do logic puzzles,
draw, paint, brush up on your math skills. Increase your in-
telligence. Increase the quality of your life.

GENDER DIFFERENCES

Our culture acknowledges equal opportunity for both
sexes. However, the sexes are not equal. Some physical dif-
ferences show up even before we are born. Gender differ-
ences are caused by the effects of both genes and hormones
on the developing fetus. (See Chapter 2 for more details re-
garding the development of the prenatal child.) Genes
alone do not determine the sex of a child. Appropriate hor-
monal levels must be present to ensure the proper growth
of the fetus. These levels affect the internal wiring of the
brain. For example, research indicates that individuals may
have the chromosomes of a male, but without the necessary
bathing of the fetus with male hormones at each of three
critical periods during gestation, the child may appear
physically female or may not be as traditionally masculine
as expected. 9
From the time of birth, males and females exhibit differ-
ent preferences and abilities. In general, men see better in
bright light, and women see better in the dark. Women are
more sensitive to changes in pitch. As an example, when a
woman begins to be annoyed, most of the other women in
the room will know this immediately by the tone of her
voice. However, the majority of men will not be aware of her
annoyance until the change in pitch is much more pro-
nounced. It is not that they are not paying attention or ig-
noring the annoyed woman’s signals; they just do not detect
the slight variations as well as women do. The following
table lists a few of the other common differences. 10