The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine M.D. Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Female Brain
Book Review: Let the men read this one!
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was recommended to me by a man with two daughters. It may have saved his sanity as his daughters are in their early teens. He can understand what hormones are doing to his "little darlings" but, he can't stop it. Poor guy. I gave one to my 30 something daughter and she loves it. Very good reading but really only one doctor's report on studies she has done over 20 years.Book Review: Light on science, heavy on anecdote and pro-drug message.
Summary: 3 Stars
I just finished reading this book to help me understand the females in my life. I'm a XY chromosomal type.
Things I liked:
1. simple chronological development of changing hormonal, structural, and social aspects surrounding the female brain through life stages.
2. modern comentary on menopause, fertility, career, and relationships related to female hormones and brain development.
3. different perspective of woman than "Maxim" or other mens mags present.
Dissapointing aspects of book:
1. seemingly embedded advertisement for "Zoloft" in many anecdotes. I don't think necessary to use specific brand name of drug used since many drugs in same class. I'm affraid many solutions to the anecdotal hormonal/brain development challenges amounted to a prescription of some sort of blockbuster $$$ drug.
2. book reads much like a collection of therapy anecdotes and not a lot of hard science, statistics, or actual brain stuff.
3. reading book can give the impression the female brain/psychy is dominated by hormonal extremes and fraught with instability.
4. Book has ~40% of pages dedicated to a bibliography of sorts. Very light read overal, finished in ~3 hours reading.
Book Review: Liked the chemistry, but generalizations are often inaccurate
Summary: 3 Stars
I have to state my qualifications or lack there of for writing this review.
I have never taken a class in psychology, but I've read a lot on the subject, and
I've always been very careful to see if what a book is saying really applies to
my observations about people. From that standpoint I found the book at times very
insightful, while at other times I found it way off the mark. I have also taken enough
chemistry courses to have studied the structures of the chemicals the book discusses in
surprising detail. I enjoyed the chemistry in the book immensely, as well as discussions
of the chemical reactions in the brain, and also comments about chemical reactions
between brains (p. 87 has a great discussion of how male pheremones aid women's moods -
I hope this is true!). Now often when I interact with a woman and I try to see where
she is coming from, I think about chemicals like oxytocin and estrogen reacting in her
brain, and from p. 35 I might also wonder what part of her cycle she is in, which
again is explained well as far as the chemistry goes.
Because of the chemistry in the book, my favorite chapter, by far, is Chapter 5,
"The Mommy Brain." It has many interesting details about why women bond to their
children for chemical reasons. Also, for the careful reader who is curious about the
role of genetics on people's behaviors, esp. generationally, on p. 110 (and p. 20)
there is a discussion of how the nurturing "trait" in women can be passed from
generation to generation not through genes, but rather "epigenetically," which is
the new scientific term to explain how traits are passed on in ways other than through
genes (though they haven't officially stated that Lamarck actually wasn't all wrong!).
Now I will detail problems I had with the book's main points about biological
affects on behaviors.
The author makes what I would call "facile" generalizations based on her patients
and scientific studies (and has received criticism for not not using references
correctly), and I observed that almost every time there is a generalization,
I could almost instantaneously think of people who disprove the generalization as
"fact." For example, while it's obvious that men can be very aggressive, I know
women who are very prone to creating conflict. And when a generalization is
proven false, where does that leave the scientific "proof" that the brain and
the chemical(s) reactions in the brain are the causes of people's behaviors?
Furthermore, she bases many generalizations on her patients. If seeking to understand
the whole picture, why not do what Maslow did, study healthy people who don't need
therapy?
The book has a lot of material about topics like female bonding, but the
discussions are incomplete. Certainly females do seem to bond relatively easily,
but I have observed repeatedly that the bonding is often very temporary, it doesn't
lead to a genuine relationship. In discussing subjects such as intuition the author
clearly assumes that women are some kind of perfect mirror, that there are no
distortions in their perceptions, etc. In my experience this is simply not true.
My biggest problem with mainstream science today on the subject that could be
termed "psychology/consciousness" vis-a-vis those who believe we have souls
(engage in metaphysics), is that the official position of science is that there is
no consciousness, there is nothing, no one, inside (I think it's called the "ghost
in the machine"), and therefore that everything can be explained in terms of biology,
the brain, chemical reactions, genes, etc.
The author realizes the above, and yet fails to incorporate it in the book. There
is a fine discussion on pp. 6-7 where she makes it clear that biology (brain structure,
genes, chemicals, etc.) is only a partial explantion for people's behaviors. She writes,
"We can alter that reality...to change the effects of sex hormones on brain structure."
Yet these insightful comments are quickly forgotten, at least by me, because I remember
no further discussions about the ability of a person to change their behavoirs through
self-control and self-determination. On p. 53 she mentions that a mutation in a gene
called CREB-1 (sounds like crabby!) can cause depression in females. I think it would
have been helpful to give examples of people who have simply changed their behaviors
(including overcoming genetic predispositions). And yet I ask (again), does that thus
"prove" that their brain chemistry changed? Also, on p. 30 she makes a very telling
comment about the way scientists who are involved in psychology tend to look at people:
"we all still cave people inside," and reiterates the point a number of other times.
I take exception to this, not just myself, but I know many people who are way beyond
cave mentality, and I assume they also don't go to therapists!
Finally, I have no "brain envy" after reading "The Female Brain!"
Book Review: Move over, Natalie!
Summary: 5 Stars
A few years ago, New York Times science writer Natalie Angier produced "Woman: An Intimate Geography". The book was intended to explain many facets of a woman's body, and was a good comprehensive account, sorely needed. However, except for some discussion of hormonal influences, the book tended to skim over the brain's role. Louann Brizendine takes up that slack with enthusiasm and deep experience. As founder of a clinic dealing with women's health and behaviour issues, she's adept at explaining complex issues clearly. She relates her own studies and that of many researchers [seventy pages of "References" impart that!], nearly all of it of recent vintage. As such, this is the most up-to-date and comprehensive study of how the female brain develops that is available today.
The author reminds us that all human brains start out female. Until the Y chromosome's genes begin transforming the embryo by a cascade of hormonal signals, all the brain cells are XX, the default. Then males and females are sent down the separate tracks of sex development. As much distinction as we see between males and females, the hidden differences in the brain are easily as significant, if not more so. Brizendine explains the triggers launching the conditions found in the female brain, showing how different ratios of neurotransmitters between males and females assist in guiding them along their separate paths.
From the growing embryo, the author moves on to the child's years and through adolescence, adulthood and the grandmother years. At the outset, it's clear that a woman's biological signals are strong and persistent, even if sometimes inconsistent. There are strong evolutionary roots to why women's "moods" are as they are and some of these are manifest in other animals, a point Angier dismissed scornfully. A woman's level of empathy with others is far higher than a man's. She develops a sense of reconciliation to prevent or avoid danger to herself and her offspring. Preparation for this outlook begins early. Females bond with other females at a young age, reflecting their tendency for negotiation and conciliation. Little girls group in the sandbox or schoolyard, while boys are more willing to act alone. In groups, boys will contest for leadership spots, while girls tend to act concertedly. A "leadership" role, if taken up in a girl's clique, may rotate among its members. This may result from "talking out" an issue among the girls. With females uttering nearly three times the number of words per day than men do, talking out a situation comes more naturally even to the young.
Once the devastating chemical storms of adolescence quiet down, entering adulthood doesn't mean hormonal fluctuations level off. Instead, the estrus cycle brings a wave of chemical flows that "marinate the brain" with new varieties. During adolescence, a spurt of new cells is generated in the brain. Specific centres, such as that for speech, enlarge and have greater influence on behaviour. Love enters the picture and issues of sex and commitment become prominent. It is in these sections of the book that Brizendine's clinical experience is best brought forth. Running a clinic in San Francisco on "Women's and Teen Girls' Mood and Hormone Clinic" brings her in frequent contact with the results of the female brain's chemical machinations. As she depicts the circumstances of a client's condition, Brizendine is able to take the reader along on imaginary trips into the female brain to explain which chemicals are performing which tasks. Levels of dopamine, estrogen, testosterone and cortisol are being adjusted by the hypothalamus and amygdala in reaction to various prompts. It's a busy place in there, with little "down time" for the working chemists.
One form of apparent reduced capacity is due to the onset of depression. Studies of depression in women go back many years, but only recently have the neurochemical aspects been discovered. Although there are many causes for depression, menopause is a consistently fundamental one. Brizendine, after a lengthy examination of the issue, concludes that estrogen therapy, initiated as soon as menopause - which "technically lasts for only twenty-four hours" - is applied promptly. Delay renders the therapy useless, perhaps even dangerous. Beyond the general text, the author provides an Epilogue and three Appendixes to address further the issues of hormone therapy, depression and sexual orientation. The package Brizendine has put together is expressive and informative. There are many areas where she concedes "we don't know why" which will surely be attended to by the research this book will spur. While this book may someday be outdated, it's an excellent summation of what we know now - and which a good many should learn about. Read this book to find out why. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
Book Review: Must read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderfully informative book and a must read for anyone seeking a full understanding of human behavior.