
Brain connections may explain why girls mature faster - gygygy
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press.office/press.release/item/brain-connections-may-explain-why-girls-mature-faster#hp-banner
======
dtf
Note that _only_ the headline says "may explain why girls mature faster". Note
the use of "may". Yet within days, this research becomes:

    
    
      "Girls really do mature quicker than boys, scientists find" - The Telegraph
    
      "Why Girls’ Brains Mature Faster Than Boys' Brains" - Time
    
      "Science proves girls do mature faster than boys" - San Francisco Chronicle
    

There was a similar charade a few weeks back when a PNAS paper about
differences in the connections between male and female subjects (concluding
that males connected more strongly front to back, females more strongly
laterally) turned into hundreds of front-page stories about women being better
at multitasking and men better at map reading, before being roundly denounced
as quite shoddy research. By then of course, the meme has stuck, because we
love having our prejudices confirmed.

The main difference between male and female brains is that male brains tend to
be bigger:

[http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2013/09/25/ar...](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/neuroskeptic/2013/09/25/are-
mens-brains-just-bigger/)

~~~
apricot7
_There was a similar charade a few weeks back when a PNAS paper about
differences in the connections between male and female subjects (concluding
that males connected more strongly front to back, females more strongly
laterally) [...] roundly denounced as quite shoddy research_

It wasn't roundly denounced as shoddy research, unless you're referring to
certain groups being angry with the study.

Posts on Jezebel, Feministe and Tumblr were angry, and they tried to spin the
results inaccurately. They claimed that the results indicated that female
brains were different _because_ of culture, and they claimed we should stop
acting like there are innate non-physical differences between men and women.

Unfortunately for them, the differences in brain chemistry became pronounced
not during the brain's most plastic years, but rapidly during puberty during
the flood of sex hormones. And the study made that clear.

I don't know why the notion of different brain chemistry is so threatening to
some groups, but it is what it is.

~~~
dtf
Yes, "shoddy research" is unfair. But the scientists went way overboard with
their interpretation, given how tiny the differences were.

I don't read Jezebel or Feministe, but here are a couple of less mainstream
links on the subject:

[http://lindeloev.net/?p=64](http://lindeloev.net/?p=64)

[http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/getting-in-a-
tangl...](http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/getting-in-a-tangle-over-
men-and-womens-brain-wiring/)

There are many interesting analyses linked from this Storify:

[http://storify.com/deevybee/postpublication-peer-review-
on-s...](http://storify.com/deevybee/postpublication-peer-review-on-sex-
differences-in)

The author of that Storify points out that much bullshit came from both camps
- those who believe strongly in sexual dimorphism in the brain (the
multitasking/map-reading crowd), and those who refuse to believe in any.
Meanwhile we should just be looking at the data for what it is and keeping in
mind how little we know about anything when it comes to this marvellous organ.

------
ps4fanboy
What a sexist article, everyone knows men and women are exactly the same.

------
smtddr
Why are we so obsessed with finding genetic reasons to explain thinking
differences in gender(or race) when the obvious elephant-in-the-room are
social/cultural pressures that must have a huge impact?

I'd feel better about these studies if they could somehow account for these
outside influences.

How about the whole idea of "boys will be boys" versus "A lady must be clean &
proper". Don't we pretty much enforce responsibility & "proper adult lady"
behavior in girls super early? Generally frowned upon when girls use bad
language, spit in public, not sit up straight in chairs, etc. We enforce girls
to act like proper, well-behaved princesses from day one. We also know that
it's much easier for a woman to ruin her lady-like image[0] than for a guy to
ruin his. In fact, looking at TVshows like JerseyShore and the whole gangsta-
hiphop image... I can't think of any way for a man to ruin his social image
short of being accused of child molestation. For boys, it's just "Go wild!"
and that attitude seems to carry all the way to college for the most part,
hence the whole frat-house start-up culture. The only responsibility that's
really drilled into boys growing up is to just avoid doing things that'll land
'em in jail. Any other anti-social behavior(like loud burping in public &
having many, many nights with random ladies) is just fine. In fact, being a
responsible & well-behaved male adult makes you a wimp it seems!
[http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/54507/danny-tanner-
wtf-o.gif](http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/54507/danny-tanner-wtf-o.gif)

0\.
[http://www.alternet.org/story/86736/he's_a_stud,_she's_a_slu...](http://www.alternet.org/story/86736/he's_a_stud,_she's_a_slut%3A_the_sexual_double_standard)

Girls typical toys:

[http://1-ps.googleusercontent.com/x/www.dailydawdle.com/imag...](http://1-ps.googleusercontent.com/x/www.dailydawdle.com/images.dailydawdle.com/horribly-
depressing-wtf-sexist-girls-toys-fail2.jpg.pagespeed.ce.dHneSXUbXG.jpg)

[http://genderfatigue.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/girls_toy_i...](http://genderfatigue.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/girls_toy_ironing_board_set.jpg)

[http://www.stylishtrendy.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/12/top-...](http://www.stylishtrendy.com/wp-
content/uploads/2011/12/top-ten-girls-toys-for-2012_2.jpg)

[http://www.novanatural.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/ima...](http://www.novanatural.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/4/8/4805-sweet-
baby-doll.jpg)

Boys typical toys:

[http://cf067b.medialib.glogster.com/media/5e/5e59e3fc4e4be00...](http://cf067b.medialib.glogster.com/media/5e/5e59e3fc4e4be00b7415e9f94a7863acba5d7a632781c7583c07a635c3d612a4/toys-
for-boys.jpg)

[http://themamareport.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/12/transfor...](http://themamareport.com/wp-
content/uploads/2013/12/transformers-action-figures.jpg)

[http://www.mommyq.com/wp-content/uploads/Track.jpg](http://www.mommyq.com/wp-
content/uploads/Track.jpg) (Also, LOL @ the photoshopped-in black boy for
diversity.)

~~~
newnewnew
> "Why are we so obsessed with finding genetic reasons to explain thinking
> differences in gender(or race) when there are obvious social/cultural
> pressures?"

Isn't that another way of saying "Why do people care about science, when its
findings might make us uncomfortable? And besides, my ideology already tells
me how the world works."

~~~
smtddr
I knew you'd comment on this. You seem to show up on all stories about gender
& race differences.

Anyways, note the part where I say _" I'd feel better about these studies if
they could somehow account for these outside influences."_ Without accounting
for those factors, these studies are at best 50/50.

EDIT: I also knew the downvote-brigade would be right there with you to
destroy my reply the moment I submitted it. 3 downvotes in 10 seconds.

~~~
oddx
> downvote

Maybe it because you become personal instead of bringing arguments?

~~~
yetanotherphd
This. It creates a very unpleasant atmosphere when you comment on someone's
posting history in a negative way, which is not relevant to the topic.

We should be able to debate a topic without bringing in other people's
motivations or character.

------
spullara
You could probably leave off the "faster" in the headline.

------
needacig
tl;dr More "proof" that men are biologically superior to women.

~~~
hackinthebochs
How on earth did you get that from the article? Why does difference have to
imply an ordering?

~~~
needacig
``Differences in biology'' are consistently cited as justification for sexist
beliefs. (An example of a sexist belief is, ``women are better suited to
careers requiring nurturing and communication over logic and leadership.'')
You are correct that this article did not imply an ordering in its findings,
but given that men dominate higher prestige social and professional positions
globally, people are constantly searching for justifications of this that seem
``fair'' to them: biology. It is primarily men who are presidents and
scientists and CEOs and leaders of families and religions. Why? Because on
average, they're just better at it. Because biology. Or so they say. When
small differences are desperately sought out, and vast similarities are
ignored, all to justify what is arguably an inequitable situation, I'm wary.
Scientific sexism and scientific racism are not new. The findings of the
scientific process are not immune from the bigotries of its practitioners and
the era in which they live. Science is a process, not an outcome.

~~~
orangecat
_``Differences in biology '' are consistently cited as justification for
sexist beliefs._

And Darwinian evolution has been cited as justification for letting the poor
starve. So what?

 _The findings of the scientific process are not immune from the bigotries of
its practitioners and the era in which they live. Science is a process, not an
outcome._

So anyone studying differences between men and women is motivated by a desire
to oppress women and maintain the patriarchy?

~~~
needacig
"And Darwinian evolution has been cited as justification for letting the poor
starve. So what?"

So that's f*cked up. Those people should not do that. And that kind of
reasoning is not even good scientific reasoning, which is my point in the
first place. What's yours?

------
thenerdfiles
Like I said: 10,000 hours for boys, 8,000 hours for girls. But the environment
has been colored, offset by slavery and sexual politics.

It is inevitable that agents like 'pg' (Paul Graham) must say and show,
despite personal capacity toward self-interest.

