What makes women smarter then men?

Answer 1

They are not smarter. Men and women are typically smarter at different things. What is considered higher intellegence in women has to do with several things:

1. Women have more tissue in the corpus callossum around the language arts region of the brain. This makes them more communicative, more in tune with their feelings, and less likely to lose their ability to speak after a stroke. The downside to this extra brain tissue in this region is that it makes it harder to be objective and emotionally detached, resulting in bias or emotional difficulty in performing certain tasks. It also contributes to the stereotypical argument between women and men. A man may accuse a woman or reading things into a situation (she may be more aware of his feelings than he is), and she may accuse the man of being insensitive or not understanding her.

2. Women tend to have more tissue in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. This is partly because they have twice as many genes for this area of the brain - they are carried on the X chromosome. This gives a better sense of judgement, a little more self-control, and more efficiency in performing certain tasks. This can be part of the reason for more infidelity, addiction, mid-life crisis, and risk-taking behaviors in men. Men tend to have less dopamine receptors, which are in this area.

3. Differences in ego. Men are more likely to do things for themselves, while women often operate more collectively, such as in "winging it," versus asking for directions or help. Being more independent or proud, men are less likely to seek help when needed. Guided instruction makes it easier to learn new tasks and do them the correct way. More macho guys also tend to have worse work ethics and are more sloppy in what they do, possibly causing others to assume their intelligence is lower than it is.

Now, in all of this, we must be fair. Men have more serotonin receptors, a larger preoptic area, and possibly more corpus callossum neurons in another area. The less neurons in the language arts area tunes them more to working independently and at tasks that don't require as much interaction with others, and gives them the ability to make tough decisions that could adversely affect others.

So overall, neither is smarter, just different and better at different things, and tend to complement each other.