Imagine you have to immerse your hands in ice-cold or very hot water for three minutes. After the first few seconds, your brain will begin sending alarm signals warning you to remove your hands. However, women don’t react the same way as men to this sign of stress.
A group of neuroscientists from the University of Southern California found that this experience increased cortisol levels in men and women, but their brain reactions were very different. Women tend to seek social support, while men are more likely to exhibit the classic fight-or-flight response by withdrawing into themselves.
The brains of men and women respond differently to stress
Psychologists have long noted that stress affects men and women differently. These researchers, after increasing participants’ stress levels by placing their hands in water, asked them to perform different tasks, such as viewing angry or neutral faces. While doing so, they took cortisol samples to assess their stress levels and monitored changes in blood flow to different areas of the brain.
They observed that when women saw angry faces, they responded with greater connectivity in different areas, especially those related to emotions and interpersonal relationships. Conversely, when men looked at angry faces, the areas responsible for processing the emotions and facial expressions of others seemed to “disconnect.”
This means that, in stressful situations, women’s brains tend to increase the degree of functional connectivity, stimulating an empathic reaction , while men’s brains prioritize the typical “fight or flight” reaction, developing a more egocentric reaction.
Hormones count, and a lot
Why do women’s brains react differently than men’s in stressful situations? One key could be hormones. In fact, neuroscientists noticed that the higher the testosterone levels at the beginning of the experiment, the lower the activity in the fusiform gyrus when people are stressed, an area specialized in facial recognition.
Interestingly, this area was much more active in stressed women than in those who were relaxed, indicating that stress triggers a brain response that facilitates connection with others and encourages us to seek help.
These results were confirmed by another study conducted at the University of Vienna. These neuroscientists concluded: “In the face of stress, women are able to flexibly detach themselves, which allows them to implement more precise social responses. In contrast, men respond with greater egocentrism and less adaptive regulation.”
In other words, while stress triggers empathy and support-seeking in women, it triggers a more self-centered response in men, leading them to activate the fight-or-flight mechanism.
One response is not better than another; it all depends on the context. However, knowing how our brain automatically reacts will allow us to pause our first impulse, reflect, and consciously choose the most adaptive response.
References:
Mather, M. et. Al. (2010) Sex differences in how stress affects brain activity during face viewing. NeuroReport ; 21(14): 933-937.
Tomova, L. et. Al. (2014) Is stress affecting our ability to tune into others? Evidence for gender differences in the effects of stress on self-other distinction. Psychoneuroendocrinology 43: 95–104.
Verma, R. et. Al. (2011) Gender differences in stress response: Role of developmental and biological determinants. Ind Psychiatry J ; 20(1): 4–10.
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