The Female Brain

By: Louann Brizendine M.D.

Narrated by: Louann Brizendine M.D.

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Why are women more verbal than men? Why do women remember details of fights that men can't remember at all? Why do women tend to form deeper bonds with their female friends than men do with their male counterparts? These and other questions have stumped both sexes throughout the ages.

Now, pioneering neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, M.D., brings together the latest findings to show how the unique structure of the female brain determines how women think, what they value, how they communicate, and who they love.

While doing research as a medical student at Yale, and then as a resident and faculty member at Harvard, Louann Brizendine discovered that almost all of the clinical data in existence on neurology, psychology, and neurobiology focused exclusively on males. In response to the overwhelming need for information on the female mind, Brizendine established the first clinic in the country to study and treat women's brain function.

In The Female Brain, Dr. Brizendine distills all of her findings and the latest information from the scientific community in a highly accessible book that educates women about their unique brain/body/behavior.

The result: women will come away from this audiobook knowing that they have a lean, mean, communicating machine. Men will develop a serious case of brain envy.

©2006 Louann Brizendine, M.D. (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[The book] offers a trove of information, as well as some stunning insights. Though referenced like a work of research, Brizedine's writing style is fully accessible....While this book will be of interest to anyone who wonders why men and women are so different, it will be particularly useful for women and parents of girls." ( Publishers Weekly)

Our hot brains

This book will change your brain, whether it is male or female. The author, Louann Brizendine, reads herself, and her wry sense of humor comes through—especially when talking about sex, one of her favorite subjects.

She reminds us the testosterone is an aggression and sexual arousal hormone in both sexes. Which is fine, except males have more of it—much more of it. Some of my women friends have remarked that males are more prone to violence, but, being a relatively passive male, I didn’t believe them. She has made a believer of me—and given me insight into my adolescent sex-driven behavior, something I certainly didn’t understand at the time—to say nothing of my parents.

Her description of the emotional problems of adolescent girls made me glad I wasn’t one of them. Here again, the problems of being a woman would overwhelm any man. For example, I have never understood how a woman can manage a career and a family at the same time. As she says, it ain’t easy, and everybody suffers because of it.

The author makes it clear that hormones are what run our life, organize our brains, and make us men and women. (There are some differences here that might surprise you.) There is a lot of talk now about gene therapy, but hormone therapy is much easier—especially for women whose hormones tend to get out of line and drive them (and everyone else) crazy.

Scientific, compassionate, but painful listening

There is no question that this is the most well researched, experience-based, easy to understand and compassionate book on the differences between the male and female brains (and thus our behaviors) that I have come across.

However, the author's voice, while perfectly suited for children's book reading or bed time reading, was not appropriate for this material. It feels as though the author is speaking down to the listeners as if we are little children. The tonation also makes it hard to stay alert and to focus on the subject as it tends to have a lullaby effect. I do a lot of audiobooks in the car due to a very long commute to work and had to stop listening to it after a while because it was making me feel sleepy.

As a book to read with your own eyes, however, I highly recommend this book to both men and women who care to understand why we are so different.

"Men are from Mars..." explains "where" we are different. This book explains "why" by looking at the differences in the ways the male and female brains develop.

Good, but not the best

There is some useful info, although I bought a couple of other books on the subject and the other one is much better, uses much more research.
The voice is very annoying and slow, so I increased the speed when listening.

Shockingly Insightful

I had no idea how different the standard male and female brains work. This book legitimately changed my perspective on gender identity from a 95% cultural phenomenon to a ~65% biological pathway. Truly insightful. However, I do want to mention that as far as the Audiobook goes, the author's voice was distressingly soft; her speech patterns were engaging but it sounded like she was reading a bedtime story to child by the volume and tone of her voice which made it difficult to get through at times. Despite that though, would still recommend and I'd rate it a solid 9/10 for anyone who's interested in gender studies and neuroscience.

Boring

Not a bad content, but not very entertaining delivery, she was basically reading a book.

Learned a lot about how the brain works

The author takes us through a lifetime of changes in a woman’s brain from prenatal to post-menopausal. Brizendine does a nice job of showing how brain chemistry motivates so many of the major life events throughout a woman’s life.

I was surprised to learn about the profound differences in the brain chemistry of men and women. The author shows that what can be mistaken for behavioral or personality proclivities are often strongly motivated by brain chemistry.

Biochemical brain differences are often the foundations for misunderstandings that plague both sexes. Anger, love, achieving, you name it, evolution has hardwired women’s brains with carefully honed survival strategies. Those behaviors manifest themselves in fascinating ways within the modern world where we live.

Most interesting to me was the author's discussion of how testosterone influences babies in utero. Boys and girls are sent down divergent paths because of the profound influences of this chemical. There’s a reason little boys play so rough. There’s sound brain chemistry behind little girls’ accelerated language skills. The author does a nice job explaining how these differences in brain chemistry manifest in behavioral differences between boys and girls. And those changes continue into adolescents when little girls once again have their brains scrambled by hormonal changes.

I also enjoyed her explanation of the brain reactions of conflict. She showed how men and women have a predisposition to process anger differently. I picked up some good pointers here for the next time my wife gets annoyed with me. :)

Brizendine also reveals the brain chemistry behind the fact that so many post-menopausal women divorce their husbands. I had no idea women’s preferences in career, family and love are so profoundly influenced by hormonal changes within the brain.

I really enjoyed this book. The things I learned will help me to better understand and support the women in my life.

Better understanding leads to more patience

I had some difficulties understanding my wife. After reading this book I understand her needs and her mood changes better. Better understanding leads to more patience.

for men<br />

As a man I highly recommend this book for other me. great book to read

A Practical Guide

Dr. Brizendine has two volumes available through Audible "The Female Brain" and "The Male Brain." In each she brings the listener up to speed on the current neuroresearch related to differentials in gender behaviors. This volume will help women better understand themselves and men to better related to wives, girl friends, and female coworkers. Dr. Brizendine reads very well and the writing good. The book is very useful.

So informative and relatable!

A big thank you to the author. She really sheds light on how the female brain works as a girl grows into a women. She guides readers to help them understand what occurs behind the scenes behind minor and major life changes, using science along with real life examples.The awareness of why things happen based on science will help with many of the "whys" in life!

Truly amazing!