Gender Differences in the Senses

As gender becomes increasingly less important in work life, leisure activity, and domestic responsibilities, psychologists grapple with the implications of real gender differences in how the brain receives and interprets information.

There are subtle but intriguing gender differences in how the visual system functions. This may be attributable to the large number of sex hormone receptors in the visual system.

Men are better at distinguishing objects that are moving in the distance, an aptitude that has clear relevance to tracking game animals in the distance.

Women have better visual memory for the location of an object in an array. This is relevant to foraging tasks such as harvesting the ripe fruits on a tree. …

There are some genuine differences but we should not jump to the conclusion that men and women inhabit discontinuous sensory worlds. Even small differences may have real practical consequences.

By Nigel Barber Ph.D. Psychology Today