DAY 178 - MEN ARE FROM MARS, WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS: IS MARS A HAPPIER PLANET?

Day 178

This morning as I was thinking about the men in my life, I wondered if gender had an impact on the level of happiness.  A couple years ago, I watched a documentary that scientifically analyzed the brain functioning of men and women.  The findings were very interesting.  Men and women truly come from different planets.

Not surprisingly, the study had showed that women can double, triple or even quadruple task, while men need to focus on one single thing at a time.  It gave me an explanation on my husband’s inability to hear me call him when he’s watching a soccer match, especially during the World Cup.  It’s not that he is purposely ignoring me.  He probably can’t hear me (I like to believe that, so what if it’s not true).

A Colombian student of mine once told me that when his wife was pregnant, she was bedridden.  He therefore had to cook (he had never cooked in his life).  He couldn’t understand how his wife was able to cook chicken and rice at the same time.  It was a very challenging endeavor for him.  He typically would have first cooked his chicken and then made the rice!!!!

Men are apparently better with directions.  The study showed that when put in a maze, men were able to find their way out, while women kept on going around and around, getting lost and unable to exit.  I have to admit my husband is better than me at finding his way when we travel… the problem is, he never wants to ask for directions even if we are lost, but that’s a whole other issue!

Apparently, when it comes to happiness, men tend to be happier than women and suffer less from depression.  A McGill University study showed that, in fact, men naturally produce 52% more serotonin than women.  Serotonin is important, as it is one of the several neurotransmitters in the brain that affect mood.  Many antidepressants work specifically to prevent serotonin from being depleted from the bloodstream.

There are many natural ways of increasing the production of serotonin in the brain, through the consumption of certain foods (see the post: Let' Get Chemical) and through activities such as exercise and meditation.

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