Brain & Nervous System: Other Resources

Why don't men listen?

In the September 2005 issue of the journal Neuroimage, psychiatric researchers at the University of Sheffield reported that male and female voices activate distinct regions of the male brain. The scientists monitored the brain activity of twelve men as they listened to male and female voices. They found that in men, women's voices stimulate an area of the brain used for processing complex sounds, like music. Male voices, on the other hand, activate a region of the brain used for producing imagery. This may suggest that, at least for men, the female voice is more complex and more difficult to hear and understand.