Author: Dr. Marianne Legato

Hormones – The classical explanation for physiological sex differences

Ask a layperson what biologically differentiates males and females, and at least two different answers will undoubtedly emerge: gonads and hormones. Indeed, the fact that males have testes and females have ovaries leads to a lifelong sexually dimorphic hormonal profile, especially in testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone levels. These sex hormones exert both permanent and protein modification.

What’s the difference between men’s and women’s lungs?

Women’s lungs are smaller than those of men.  Before you say “I knew it,” I want to tell you something surprising: the lungs are smaller in women even when we adjust for smaller size of women’s bodies.  Furthermore, women have lower levels of hemoglobin, the molecule in the blood that carries oxygen to tissues.  Lower hemoglobin levels might seem to require larger lung volume, to compensate for the reduced amount of oxygen circulating through the lungs. But women’s lungs are smaller, not larger and we don’t know why. 

Nature vs Nature?

Perhaps no question sparks more controversy than whether children assume sex roles as a result of their biology or the socialization they’re exposed to.  The answer, of course, is probably not an “either/or” but a “with” – some combination of the socialization we receive interacts with our natural biology (itself a knot of complicated and intertwining factors) to turn us into the people we become.

The Body Language Divide

We’ve discussed the greater ease with which women interpret non-verbal cues, so it won’t come as a surprise that women use more of them to communicate as well.  Women tend to use facial expressions, verbal rhythm and tone, and physical gestures to convey information and emotion.