by Karen Durning
I was recently reading a book called Men Are Like Waffles, Women Are Like Spaghetti by Bill and Pam Farrel, and it made me think of the countless conversations that I’ve listened to with couples who are in the midst of hard decisions regarding their hardwood flooring project. Makes me wonder how I will build a home and select flooring and other interior elements with my husband in the future without kicking him in the kneecaps. Hopefully, I will learn enough between now and then so we can avoid that awkward situation in the flooring showroom.
My disclaimer: I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, nor do I claim to know anything really about relationships or the brain. Any so-called technical information here is from people on the internet who profess their intelligence on these subjects. Of course, I am throwing in my observations as a “spaghetti like” creature as well.
The Brain
You really only need to know 3 things here, based on the word of the people who went to school and are professionals on this stuff:
§ The male brain on average is bigger than the female brain; while the female brain on average has more cellular connections than the male brain.
§ Men perform tasks predominantly with the left hemisphere of the brain; while women will use both because of the higher level of cellular connections.
§ Women have a larger deep limbic system than men.
In terms we can actually understand:
§ Men make decisions using facts, statistics, processes, logic and reason.
§ Women make decisions using an arsenal of creativity, communication, intuition and emotion.
I’m sure there is overlap depending on individual personality traits. For example, I actually like facts and processes! (Strange, I know!)
