Research has shown that stressed women show activity in brain areas associated with emotional intelligence whereas men do better at performing narrow tasks when under threat.
Interestingly, men undergoing stressful mental tests tend to reach for the fruit bowl whereas women head straight for the sweetie jar! Luckily, stressed males are more likely to be attracted to fuller-figured women.
Many studies show that when men are subject to long-term stress they are more likely to suffer from heart attacks and strokes whereas women tend to be better protected, both by oestrogen which helps the brain deal with stress, and by their social-support-building responses.
In other words men are built for short-term, emergency responses (hunting, fleeing) while women are desiged to stick around (child rearing).
Our Project Diamond Handbook also considers the difference between male and female brains and how this plays out in the workplace.
(Source: The Times 7 April 2014)
