The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine M.D.
I think it's always good to start somewhere when you want to learn more about yourself, your health, and your brain. Overall, the brain is a mystery to doctors across the world. Once they feel they've started to understand one aspect of the brain, the way it learns or how it processes emotions, they soon find out that there are many more pieces to the puzzle that they haven't uncovered yet.
Bill Bryson recently published The Body: A Guide For Occupants, another excellent read, that shares its own section on the brain and of what and how it is made up and of its functions. An interesting and factual read, it also sheds light on the complexity of the brain and its workings. He's very frank in his appraisal that the brain is the "most extraordinary thing in the universe..." (pg 48). His book dives into the research started years ago and demonstrates how far from learning, in particular, how memory, in this case, works but as to "how difficult it is to understand how it works" (pg 61).
In Bryson's book, he shares how a German neurologist, Korbinian Brodmann, worked researching the brain in a research institute in Berlin. As a result, he "painstakingly identified forty-seven distinct regions of the cerebral cortex, which have been known since as Brodmann areas" (pg 61). This was back in 1909, and it mapped the areas known as "its higher processes -- thinking, seeing, hearing, and so on -- happen right at the surface" (pg 61). The ability to learn more is forever on the horizon.
In 2018, there was continued research by Professor George Paxinos that a cluster of cells might very well be responsible for humanity's fine motor skills. The control that allows us to play an instrument, run the field or court of any sport's team, and stick pen to paper (just to name a few) could have its start in this cluster he discovered at the base of the brain stem thirty years ago. Coming from the early 1900s to the 2000s with new information on the brain is a scientific wonder and demonstrates how much, and at the same time, how little we really know about the brain.
Bill Bryson recently published The Body: A Guide For Occupants, another excellent read, that shares its own section on the brain and of what and how it is made up and of its functions. An interesting and factual read, it also sheds light on the complexity of the brain and its workings. He's very frank in his appraisal that the brain is the "most extraordinary thing in the universe..." (pg 48). His book dives into the research started years ago and demonstrates how far from learning, in particular, how memory, in this case, works but as to "how difficult it is to understand how it works" (pg 61).
In Bryson's book, he shares how a German neurologist, Korbinian Brodmann, worked researching the brain in a research institute in Berlin. As a result, he "painstakingly identified forty-seven distinct regions of the cerebral cortex, which have been known since as Brodmann areas" (pg 61). This was back in 1909, and it mapped the areas known as "its higher processes -- thinking, seeing, hearing, and so on -- happen right at the surface" (pg 61). The ability to learn more is forever on the horizon.
In 2018, there was continued research by Professor George Paxinos that a cluster of cells might very well be responsible for humanity's fine motor skills. The control that allows us to play an instrument, run the field or court of any sport's team, and stick pen to paper (just to name a few) could have its start in this cluster he discovered at the base of the brain stem thirty years ago. Coming from the early 1900s to the 2000s with new information on the brain is a scientific wonder and demonstrates how much, and at the same time, how little we really know about the brain.
In 2019, researchers are testing how forgetfulness might have something to do with the time of day, are finding that there is a neural circuit that regulates alcohol consumption, and are discovering a brain circuit that is linked to eating impulsivity. Science Daily is only one online magazine making an effort to keep the world updated on scientific finds, and the ones that have caught my eye center on the brain and its development. Yet, there are constant improvements in our knowledge and still a wide expanse of information we still aren't aware of in how our brain works.
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 5/5
Dr. Louann Brizendine makes an edifying attempt at explaining the female brain through her clinical research on how hormones influence the brain overwhelmingly from conception to death. Her writing is essentially expository in its deposit of information to the world. Each chapter is dedicated to the evolution of the female through her lifespan: broken into birth, childhood, teen years, womanhood, the "mommy brain," all the way through pre-, during, and post-menopause.
3. Overall Content: 5/5
The book itself is an interesting collection of scientific data, personal experiences, client stories, and the lifespan development of the brain. While it focuses on the female brain, in particular, it does address the differences that have been found between the female and male brains. It tackles the neurological differences that have been seen through several studies as well as under a microscope and when brains have been looked at via a fMRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan and PET (positron-emission tomography). What scientists have found is that women and men have "structural, chemical, genetic, hormonal, and functional brain differences" (pg 4).
So, there's always the chance that what we learn today could be totally changed, reversed, or added to in the future. As evolving creatures, humans are influenced by so many factors throughout their lives. We see nature vs nurture, home life, education, environment, culture, technology, stress, relationships, and more as factors that impact our brains on a daily basis.
What's more neuropsychiatrist, researcher, clinician, professor, and author Louann Brizendine has tried her hand at explaining the brain. She breaks her knowledge into two separate novels, The Female Brain and The Male Brain with each overlapping in their data and instruction when making comparisons on a neurological and biological foundation. Her books attempt the effort to show the differences between the two brains just like the author, John Gray, of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus attempts in his work with couples.
As a faulty member of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California in San Fransisco, Dr. Brizendine is interested in learning more about the human mind in all its confusing glory. Her clinical research is geared more toward the hormonal influences on every aspect of the brain, behavior, sexual and mental health of humans. This can be anything from mood, gender, and memory to aging, psychological and biological aspects, and physical interest to anxiety, personality, and relationships. Her work is to determine the hormonal and cultural features of psychological development and behavior in regard to the development of female and male brains throughout their lives.
There is a lot of information and details in this book to cover, and I'm not going to be able to do so within this review and rating. However, the instruction and data give readers a lot of food for thought. Dr. Brizendine is clearly passionate about her field and has collected a lot of facts and statistics to put this book together. Her education through Harvard, Berkeley, and University of College, London, has helped her gather background for this book as much as her patients, colleagues, medical students, staff, and residents of the Women's and Teen Girl's Mood and Hormone Clinic.
Let's look at the breakdown, some facts, and criticisms as well as my own thoughts on this engrossing book and all of its enlightening material.
Numeric Breakdown:
There is a lot of information and details in this book to cover, and I'm not going to be able to do so within this review and rating. However, the instruction and data give readers a lot of food for thought. Dr. Brizendine is clearly passionate about her field and has collected a lot of facts and statistics to put this book together. Her education through Harvard, Berkeley, and University of College, London, has helped her gather background for this book as much as her patients, colleagues, medical students, staff, and residents of the Women's and Teen Girl's Mood and Hormone Clinic.
Let's look at the breakdown, some facts, and criticisms as well as my own thoughts on this engrossing book and all of its enlightening material.
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it
2: it was okay
3. liked it
4. really liked it
5. it was amazing
1. Writing Style: 5/5
Dr. Louann Brizendine makes an edifying attempt at explaining the female brain through her clinical research on how hormones influence the brain overwhelmingly from conception to death. Her writing is essentially expository in its deposit of information to the world. Each chapter is dedicated to the evolution of the female through her lifespan: broken into birth, childhood, teen years, womanhood, the "mommy brain," all the way through pre-, during, and post-menopause.
Every once in a while the author tends to take on a narrative style, where she takes time to relate stories from her patients in the context of whichever section she is sharing. The text is at once informative and thought-provoking. If at times the writing ventures into the cliché or stereotypical mindset, as many critics have argued, I think it's wise to remember that the author is most likely attempting to share her knowledge in a relatable way. It also behooves the reader to understand that the stereotypes are being defined through a hormonal aspect, in terms of her research and the understanding she and her colleagues have gathered throughout the years.
For that reason, I overlook some of the areas where I feel Dr. Brizendine's voice might get a tiny overused in this way. In a lot of areas, her use of the conventional and typical behavioral outcomes are relatable, easy to understand, and representative of several childhoods in more than one way. Although the audience may wish to deviate from this form of thinking, we can see some of these typical attitudes and behaviors if we watch our children, nieces, nephews, cousins, and classmates to some degree.
The ease with which Dr. Brizendine explains what she has learned is evident in the breakdown of this book. The medical jargon that might often confuse or disgust many readers is not a hindrance in this book. While some might find fault with some of the terms that the author uses in order to share her work, such as calling oxytocin the "fluffy, furry kitten," I find it speaks to the doctor's sense of humor and willingness to make her work amusing and a bit tongue-in-cheek. Which, for most people, brings a little more enjoyment to the book itself.
2. Text Organization: 5/5
The text is broken down in a logical and clearcut manner, which helps the reader feel they are walking through their own life's timeline. It's concise, sprinkled with jocular moments, cited throughout with her research, and gives the reader a consistent view of how hormones play a large part on the brain's development and resulting behaviors. The phases of a woman's life is charted at the very beginning of the book with a list of words to know and their definitions. This sets the tone of the book on the right path from the beginning and gears readers into the mind-frame of what they are about to learn.
The text is broken down in a logical and clearcut manner, which helps the reader feel they are walking through their own life's timeline. It's concise, sprinkled with jocular moments, cited throughout with her research, and gives the reader a consistent view of how hormones play a large part on the brain's development and resulting behaviors. The phases of a woman's life is charted at the very beginning of the book with a list of words to know and their definitions. This sets the tone of the book on the right path from the beginning and gears readers into the mind-frame of what they are about to learn.
The parts of the brain her research has centered on include the anterior cingulate cortex, prefrontal cortex, insula, hypothalamus, anygdala, pituitary gland, and hippocampus. Each important to the growth of females and males alike, and in studies, some of these areas can be larger or smaller in the woman or man. Dr. Brizendine breaks down these parts and gives more information in her book, right at the beginning, which is helpful when she dives into the parts they play in females (and even males) throughout the rest of her book.
Again, her study and interest is geared toward how hormones influence and even modify the thinking and behavior of females from conception through old age. As we know, hormones play a large part in how we develop physically, but they can also "determine what the brain is interested in doing" (pg xvii). They can determine in large part how we react in certain situations. The doctor shares how hormones can work to control and alter our behavior within our environments, social interactions, and overall feelings.
3. Overall Content: 5/5
The book itself is an interesting collection of scientific data, personal experiences, client stories, and the lifespan development of the brain. While it focuses on the female brain, in particular, it does address the differences that have been found between the female and male brains. It tackles the neurological differences that have been seen through several studies as well as under a microscope and when brains have been looked at via a fMRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan and PET (positron-emission tomography). What scientists have found is that women and men have "structural, chemical, genetic, hormonal, and functional brain differences" (pg 4).
Scientists have seen through research that the female and male brains use different areas and "circuits to solve problems, process language, experience and store strong emotions" (pg 4). The stimuli in both brains also "hear, see, 'sense,' and gauge what others are feeling in different ways" (pg 4). While male and female brains "operating systems are mostly compatible and adept, [but] they perform and accomplish the same goals and tasks using different circuits" (pg 4).
Dr. Brizendine explains throughout her book, and with research evidence conducted with human brains, monkeys, and mice, that hormones have a large amount of sway on the brain structure and chemistry. "It presents samplings from neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, child development, brain imagining, and psychoneuroendocrinology" (pg8-9). Through this twenty year variety of investigations and advances, the book also "explores primatology, animal studies, and infant observation, seeking insights into how particular behaviors are programmed into the female brain by a combination of nature and nurture" (pg 9).
She touches on the sometimes stereotypical, but often seen differences in boys and girls during childhood. She argues that through hormonal, genetic, and natural impulses girls are more often ready to cuddle dolls while boys are up for crashing trucks into walls. Dr. Brizendine explains that these characteristics have been developed since conception and are "hardwired" into female and male brains in part because of the hormones present at this point in the birth process. Different amounts of estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone are exposed to the cells as they develop and can impact the beginning of baby. This chemical wash can help determine the functioning and processing of the brain and how inherently male or female the brain will turn out to be. It also can explain how girls and boys can act the exact opposite of what is seen as "stereotypical" childhood behaviors, where the girl can be more fascinated by trucks and superheroes, and boy can be geared toward wearing dresses. The chemical wash present at conception and through the months housed in the womb can also play a factor in these behavioral differences.
The findings share that because of this chemical wash and the hormones that will follow within childhood, womanhood, and beyond, women tend to exhibit specific character traits with one another. The degrees to which they exhibit these personality types can vary, but they will bear an impact nonetheless. Although it might be seem like the author is fitting little girls and boys into a box, her research with infants and toddlers, as well as with her own clients, has seen a consistent trend where girls will be more likely to initiate conversation, be geared to recognize attitudes and facial expressions, express empathy, look for and desire approval, have a need to be heard, observe emotional cues, attempt to assign roles to others in play, typically endeavor to keep the peace, wish to be friends on her own terms, have definite bossy moments, and rely on communication and socialization to a greater degree than males, especially through youth.
The teen years are often known as a tumultuous time for young adults all over the world. Dealing with the hormonal brain of a teenage girl shows us that girl's brains are starting to reorganize and rewire what she sees as important in terms of how she thinks, feels, and acts. A large portion of this time turns to what she looks like, what she wears, and how others feel about her on a daily basis. Drama is the key word here, and although it might seem like an understatement, the brain and its domination of hormones, that once again start to reassert their ugly heads as puberty hits, bring on a lot of the behaviors that girls experience.
Again, the reassertion of large quantities of estrogen is flooding a young woman's body and changing her feelings and affecting her actions as the large amounts pour through. "This cellular release sparks the hypothalmic-pituitary-ovarian system into action" (pg 33). It helps to cause the girls to become moody, temperamental, resistant, and the reverse of what they were as little girls in several ways because the hormones flushing through her system and brain are creating a more sensitive individual to everything going on around her. She's dealing with the usual ups and downs of the world, her environment, her home life, her social world, and now there's the reintroduction of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone in varying degrees as they surge through her system and fuel circuits that were already there since conception within the girl's brain.
Now, I can't go into all the details, breakdowns, and reasons that these hormones have such a large impact on the brain and behavior of young adults, female and male, but I can say that it's worthwhile to pick up the book and read it to find out more information for yourself. The doctor shares more in-depth of how oxytocin and dopamine also play a part in the development and puberty of girls.
The author allocates her knowledge within the studies conducted on how these hormones can shape how a young girl can respond to different and typical situations, habits, stress, emotional upheavals, risk-taking, aggression, depression, anxiety, and the evolution of "mean girls" (pg 54). These are a few of the topics covered before touching on love, trust, attraction, sex, monogamy, fidelity vs infidelity, becoming a mother, birth, PTSD in terms of birth and depression, attention disorder, emotions, and more. The author takes the reader through pre-, during, and post-menopause. Again, Dr. Brizendine is speaking in terms of how the brain and behavior of a female are affected through increases and decreases of her hormones.
Dr. Brizendine does discuss these differences, the research, and the hormones in terms of female and male brains being their own entity. Although both share similarities, there are still clear differences between the processing and circuitry as well as the reactions and actions of both. She also argues that there is no unisex brain. A brain is either predominantly male or female based on the exposure of hormones through conception and development. Hormones can play a part in how a female or male brain is shaped in terms of desires, gender specifics, and more, but a good portion of that has to do with the exposure of certain hormones at certain times throughout the development stages.
Although, at times, she uses specifics about how much a female talks on average a day versus a male, and other examples of how males and females differ that many argue are too gender-oriented, broad, or not research-based enough, I would still like to argue that her research is geared toward hormonal influences and not on pandering to being politically correct, and this particular knowledge was quoted from famous language expert and author, Allan Pease. Her research is evident and shared throughout the whole book as well as in her bibliography at the end.
I would certainly not tell you that her book is the only authority on brain research and the differences between male and female brains, but I would like to argue that she took a special interest in finding out more about the differences and about female brains, in particular, when her professors (predominantly male) in college made it clear that female brains were the same as males but less... everything. This bothered her, of course, and led her to do her own research, get a degree in neurobiology from UC Berkeley and a residency in psychiatry through Harvard Medical School. She has also attended Yale School of Medicine, has become an "endowed clinical professor," and continues to teach and conduct research. Clearly, she has taken the steps to gather this information and present it to the public.
Even though it has received mixed results in reviews, I have to say I found it very informative. I definitely could see myself in a lot of what she was describing and sharing throughout the whole book. I'm sure there were some portions, I can't say off-hand which they would be right now, that I might have disagreed with, but all in all, I found this a very honest and convincing exposition of how my brain might develop, process, and react. I could see myself in the details she shared of little girls trying to assess, be heard, gain approval, and become who they're meant to be in this stage of life. I could see myself in the teen drama years with a lot of what she explained, and I can see myself now throughout a lot of what she brings insight to with how females grow and evolve.
My encouragement would be to read the book and see what strikes a cord with you. I feel it is a book everyone should read and assess the information for themselves. What sounds right to you? Do you see yourself in any of the examples? Howso? What do you disagree with, and why? Can you research what you disagree with and find alternative answers that match what you think, feel, and see about yourself?
I guess the last thing I can leave you with is that it's always important to learn more about yourself and how your body and brain interact with the world around you, but also, with how cells, hormones, and more are interconnecting inside your body as well. It's good to read, assess, investigate, and decide for yourself what you think makes sense for you and how that can apply to your life. This book held a lot of pertinent, relevant, and understandable information that, for me, helped me understand myself, and several other woman I know, better.
4. Evaluation/Analysis of What I've Learned: 5/5
In my evaluation of this book and its content, I did a little side research into the reviews and criticism associated with this book and Dr. Louann Berzendine. I have shared a few of those links throughout the review because I want you to have access to others' opinions on the information the doctor presented as well. I feel it's always good to look at both sides of a coin, so to speak, and see what others might have to say.
In my evaluation of this book and its content, I did a little side research into the reviews and criticism associated with this book and Dr. Louann Berzendine. I have shared a few of those links throughout the review because I want you to have access to others' opinions on the information the doctor presented as well. I feel it's always good to look at both sides of a coin, so to speak, and see what others might have to say.
In terms of their arguments, and the articles I shared on this page, I felt some of what the critics were sharing didn't have any large bearing on the overall content of the author's work. In a few of the articles, I felt they were almost trying to find something wrong with this doctor's work in order to sensationalize their own standing or disagreement with what was being stated. I say this in order to let you know how much the disagreeing points of view affect my own view of the book itself. They didn't. I still found this a relatable and understandable read, with the ability to see what the author was talking about in my own life, and that has led me to rate it a 5/5.
I read what they had to say. I could see their point about the more stereotypical comments that Dr. Brizendine does fall back on within some of her examples, but I also see the validity to her statements, and I realize that she shares her research is based on evidence provided through research through a study by Harvard Medical School observations as well as others. As I stated at the beginning of my review, I know the brain is ever-evolving, research is always finding something new and exciting, and we can't take one word as gospel. However, I have to say her evidence hits a personal chord with me and what I've seen in my own world experiences.
Again, I would always encourage you to do your own reading and research. If you're interested in learning more about the female brain, how hormones might be affecting you, how you relate in your own world, and how you can understand yourself a little better, then I say: Pick Up This Book and Read It. All this book can do is give you neurobiological evidence and insight with a psychiatric twist on how hormones can control your emotions. I found it accurate in many ways when relating it to my own experiences, and I think you might find the same if you give it a try.
If you want to find out more about The Female Brain and Author Dr. Louann Berzendine, I have attached a few links for you to check out:
Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!!
~Rebecca Reddell
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