I’ve always thought that I was an oddball for not wanting to flock to the chicken coop and mingle with a group of chicks. In fact if you see me with a group of females I have to be a) intoxicated b) intoxicated or c) there to support one or two of the other females within the group. I prefer and value the one on one interaction I have with a female friend, there is more a chance that I get a word in, I’m more likely to get my way when there is any of decision making involved and my communication with the friend stands less of a chance of being misinterpreted. I’m also introverted, I get tense in big crowds, although it may appear that I am enjoying myself, in the back of my mind I am strategizing an early exit escape route. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy group interaction at all. Some of the best times I’ve had out are with “the girls” but that’s usually in the case when reasons A, B & C (see above) are met.
I felt at odds because to me it appeared as if there was something wrong with me for preferring to hang with one or two of my girls as opposed to the whole chicken coop. I felt this way until I got forwarded an article posted onTime.com (click for article) that provided scientific proof that women are hard-wired to value one-on-one relationships, while our male counterparts are more attuned to the group dynamic and competition within the group. A study conducted by researchers at the national institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Georgia State University found there were differences between teen girls and boys when meeting someone new to befriend:
Specifically, when an older girl anticipates meeting someone new — someone she believes will be interested in her — her nucleus accumbens (which is associated with reward and motivation), hypothalamus (associated with hormone secretion), hippocampus (associated with social learning) and insula (associated with subjective feelings) all become more active. By contrast, boys in the same situation show no such increase in activity in these areas. In fact, the activity in their insula actually declines.
Boys, it seems, aren’t as interested in one-on-one interactions as girls are. Previous research has shown that male adolescents instead become more focused on competition within larger groups (like between sports teams). Perhaps it’s evidence that evolution has programmed boys to compete within large groups, so they can learn to eliminate rivals for women — and that girls have been programmed to judge, one-on-one, who would be the most protective father for offspring. (Source: Time.com)
Now I also believe that this study explains why there is so much catty behavior and drama within a typical female clique. If we’re programmed to judge as the study suggests, then that means we are constantly subconsciously eliminating undesirables whether that be a suitor or friend. Damn we’re complicated ladies! But I do not necessarily see this subconscious process of elimination as bad thing. Many times when we get that inkling that a person is no good in our lives, we are usually right and in no time they reveal who they really are.
Now that you know that men and women are not only externally unique but internally as well, what do you make of it all? Is the study bang on or does additional research need to be done?
[...] This post was Twitted by Teeteebee [...]