The book became an instant hit because the author, John Gray, wrote about the differences between men and women rather than trying to point out the similarities.

Throughout history, the difference between men and women has been the subject of endless debate. In the sexist point of view, men are superior over women. Politically correct thinking and equality has since erased this notion.

Of course, we would all agree that men and women are physically different. The tangible factors like anatomy, height, weight, size and shape are easily measured. However, the differences between how men and women think is a completely different story.

Who Has The Better Brain?

While many of us would like to think that all of our brains are fundamentally the same, research shows that men and women have different brain structures and use their brains differently.

A possible factor would be hormonal influence. Men have more testosterone and women more estrogen, which both influence brain development.

Scientists already know that men and women have slightly different brains, but for many years they thought the differences were limited to the hypothalamus, the part of your brain that maintains the body’s status quo, controlling a number of bodily functions including body temperature, food intake and sex drive.

In 2001, researchers discovered that certain parts of the brain were different in size in males and females. They found that parts of the frontal lobe, which is used in problem-solving and decision-making, and the limbic cortex, used for regulating emotions, were larger in women, while the parietal cortex, which is involved in space perception, and the amygdala, which regulates sexual and social behavior, were larger in men.

Men also have approximately 6.5 times more gray matter in the brain than women, while women have about 10 times more white matter than men. Gray matter is full of active neurons, while white matter consists more of connections between the neurons. This probably explains the differences in how men and women think.

If you’ve watched the hilarious video on YouTube about men’s and women’s brains, according to pastor Mark Gungor, men’s brains contain “boxes that don’t touch one another” while women’s brains are like wire, which touches and connects with everything.

It’s a good description of the differences between the amount of gray matter and white matter that men’s and women’s brains contain because this may explain the stereotype that women multitask better due to their many “connections.”

And, even though women’s brains are slightly smaller, the neurons in women’s brains are packed densely and are situated closer to one another. In fact, some women may have as much as 12 percent more neurons than men do, and the close proximity between these neurons increase their processing speed.

It’s also interesting to find out that men and women use different sections of their brain to perform the same task.  The human brain is so complex that there is more than one way to arrive at the same road. The beauty of it is that it’s not necessary for men and women to think alike in order to reach the same conclusion or answer. It also has no impact on overall intelligence because both sexes have the same average IQ scores.

So much for the discussion on men’s and women’s brains, let’s take a look now at …

3 Busted Brain Myths 

• You only use 10 percent of your brain

This has been probably been around for the longest time and has proliferated over the past century due to misinterpretations of neuroscience discoveries and unsubstantiated quotes by both scientists and laypeople.

The brain is only one percent of our body by weight but it burns up to 10 percent of our energy. Why? Because we use virtually 100 percent of our brains everyday!

For example, you’re munching on a sandwich while reading this blog. As you read, the frontal lobes in your cerebral cortex are thinking and reasoning, your parietal lobes are savoring the taste, texture and smell of your food, the occipital lobes help process how you see the words on this page, and the temporal lobes help process what you hear – like the chewing of the sandwich and the typing on your keyboard.

Your cerebellum allows you to hold the sandwich in your hand (or in your mouth) as well as anything else you’re doing that needs balance and coordination. You are also breathing, digesting your food and circulating blood. You might be feeling cold because of the airconditioning. Your hippocampus will help you remember what you’re reading. Your brain is bustling with all this activity just for one simple task.

• Your brain stops growing as you mature

Brain volume was believed to stop expanding as you enter your twenties and that each person was born with a fixed number of brain cells.  But MRI brain scans revealed that white matter in the brain continues to increase until people are in their forties.

It turns out that your brain is more like a muscle and continues to develop over time. Your brain keeps growing in the temporal lobe and frontal lobes – the parts of your brain that largely differentiates humans from animals.

Scientists also discovered that your brain can repair itself by growing new cells – something that was thought to be impossible until the 1990s. Before, many believed that if you damage your brain, it could no longer be fixed and you would have to live with a deficit for the rest of your life.

However, recent findings show that the brain can rewire or change itself in response to new learning, and can even generate new cells through a process called neurogenesis.

To prove that brain cells regenerate, in 1998 scientists used a substance that identifies dividing cells in a group of terminal cancer patients. Postmortem examinations found that the substance was attached to new cells in the hippocampus. This discovery not only disproves the myth that we are born with a fixed number of brain cells, it also gives hope to victims of brain injury caused by either diseases or trauma.

• Some people are left-brained, some people are right-brained

The idea of a left-right split came from studies of split brain patients in the 1960’s, when doctors treated epilepsy patients by severing their corpus collosum, the cord connecting the left hemisphere of the brain to the right. Neuroscientists studied these patients, who became a rich source of data on brain functions, and found information presented to the left side resulted in performing some tasks – ” left brain tasks” – satisfactorily, while different tasks could be done by the right hand side.

This led to the myth that left-brained people are rational, methodical and details oriented while right brained people are creative, big picture types.

Research continues into the differences between the two halves of the brain but it is not true that there are people who use one side more than the other. Sure, some people are more rational while others are more intuitive but these differences have nothing to do with what side of the brain they use more because we use all of its parts.

Now, since your brain keeps maturing in adulthood, regardless if you are male or female, you should avoid alcohol abuse, drug use, poor nutrition and other damaging activities to help your brain from reach its full development. Always make it a habit to stimulate and challenge your brain to promote its growth, just as exercise builds muscle.

Not everyone is born with Albert Einstein’s noggin so we can all use some tips to help our brains function better. For an athlete preparing for a crucial game or completion, a teenager studying for an exam, a dad trying to beat a deadline at work, or a mom managing household duties and helping the kids with the homework, it pays to be in tip-top shape mentally.

Taking care of your brain could also help you avoid Alzheimer’s disease and other illnesses in your old age. Here are some of the brain boosting habits that I’ve compiled:

1. Exercise – Yes, you need to work out a sweat because since more than 20 percent of your body’s blood and oxygen go directly to your brain, exercise, particularly cardiovascular workouts like running, effectively increases blood circulation in your brain. It’s also worth to try Yoga because many Yoga poses are specifically designed to get blood flowing to your brain faster.

2. Hydrate – Drinking a lot of water is one of the simplest ways to keep your mind alert and refreshed. Coconut juice is also a natural way to hydrate. Forget about the coffee and soda – caffeine may make you feel more alert at first but it will actually make you even more tired by dehydrating your muscles and constricting your blood vessels.

3. Rest – Go get some zzzs. As Jason Bourne said, “Sleep is a weapon.” Almost nothing compares to the benefits of sleep to proper and efficient brain function.

4. Eat Brain Food – Eat protein-rich foods because protein is the main fuel for your brain. Your brain also needs crucial vitamins and minerals, including:
• Vitamin A – vital in protecting brain cell membranes
• B Vitamins – for neuron growth and vitality
• Vitamin C – has levels in your brain that are 15 times higher than anywhere else in your body because it is crucial in brain function
• Vitamin E – helps prevents brain deterioration
• Magnesium – maintains the metabolic viability of neurons
• Zinc – cleanses impurities in your brain
• Amino Acids – vital in the growth and health of neurotransmitters

5. Optimize your Omega-3 levels – Omega-3 fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which are found in fish oil, help maintain dopamine levels in your brain, increases neuron growth in the frontal cortex of the brain and enhances cerebral circulation. Add Omega-3-rich fish like wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, lake trout, herring and mackerel to your diet. Krill oil is another excellent source of omega-3, and may even be superior to fish oil.

6. Eat Weeds – Ginkgo biloba and ginseng are two of the most important brain-boosting herbs. Ginkgo biloba has a blood-thinning  effect which increases cerebral blood flow and helps protect your brain from degeneration while ginseng increases the productivity of your adrenal glands to help the brain adapt to stress agents.

7. Stimulate – Work through boredom and stress by decorating your work area with bright colors. Try switching your font color to something more vivid. Smell is the strongest of senses so it will also be good to try aromatherapy. Scents like lemon, peppermint, and cypress are known to stimulate the brain.

8. Think Positive and Happy Thoughts – Your brain, particularly your memory, is vulnerable to stress. Try to minimize stress in your home and workplace because if you are always tense or unhappy, you’re much less likely to retain information or stay alert.

9. Play Games – Studies on dementia patients show that playing word games and puzzles can increase and even restore mental cognitive abilities.

10. Watch TV – quality TV – Studies show that passively sitting in front of the boobtube is counterproductive. So if you can’t avoid being a couch potato, do your brain a favor by watching game or quiz shows like Jeopardy and try to answer the questions. It’s like playing Trivial Pursuit with your friends.

11. Surf the Net – A recent study done at the University of California Los Angeles revealed that Net surfing stimulated brain areas that control decision-making and complex reasoning.

12. Challenge your brain – Unused parts of the brain stop working so learn something new. Read a new book. Study a new language. Try cooking the latest recipes or challenge yourself with an unfamiliar subject because these activities all increase brain growth and wake up new areas.

13. Time management – Organize your life better. Make the most of your time each day. Keep a list of daily and long-term priorities so you don’t get out of focus.

14. Actively Improve your Memory – The most effective way to remember facts is by forming multiple associations. For example, you may remember the date of your friend’s birthday because that number was also Michael Jordan’s jersey number. Repetition is also a tried and tested method of memorization.

15. Have Sex – A number of activities happen to your body during sex, and a lot of it actually goes on inside your brain. There is no other activity that increases more blood flow to your brain. Sex also produces hormones that dramatically improve brain functions. The hormone oxytocin increases your ability to think of original solutions to a problem. Serotonin and dopamine, which surge after sex, enhances your creative thinking and supports calm and logical decision-making.

Remember, human mental health usually declines before the age of 40. We must take measures to keep our brains healthy, no matter what age.