Men and Women are Not So Different as Previously Thought Of, and Think Quite Alike

Men and women are not so different after all, and think quite alike, suggest scientists at Iowa State University.

Researcher Zlatan Krizan conducted a meta-synthesis of more than 100 meta-analyses of gender differences. The purpose of the study was not to identify why men and women are different, but to measure by how much. The study results showed an almost 80 percent overlap for more than 75 percent of the psychological characteristics, such as risk taking, occupational stress and morality.

Krizan said, "The study suggested that men and women were relatively similar when it came to most psychological attributes. This was true regardless of whether we looked at cognitive domains, such as intelligence; social personality domains, such as personality traits; or at well-being, such as satisfaction with life. The similarities were also consistent regardless of age and over time."

However, the researchers also identified 10 attributes in which there was a significant gap between genders. Some of these characteristics fell in line with stereotypes; for example, men were more aggressive and masculine, while women had a closer attachment to peers and were more sensitive to pain.

The study is published in American Psychologist.

Source: Medindia