In her book “The Female Brain”, Louann Brizendine,refers to a study by psychologist David M. Buss on how we select our mates. Buss says that our mating preferences have been developed over millions of years of evolution and we still carry those preferences today. His theory is that our brains developed to handle the problems that our human ancestors encountered.
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I am enjoying my Independence Day holiday with family in Seattle and reading “The Female Brain” by Louann Brizendine, MD. The book was recommended to me by a friend and it sounded interesting. After all, I’m a guy and roughly 50% of my family, friends and clients are female. I am always seeking deeper understanding of others. And I want to know more about people’s predispositions, motivations and behaviors so that I can relate with them more effectively.

Louann Brizendine is a neuropsychiatrist at the University of San Francisco who studies, among other things, the influence of hormones on the brain and behaviors.

I’m just getting started with the book and I am keeping an open mind. So far, I am finding it easy to read and well researched. Although it is not footnoted, Brizendine backs up her statements with 10 pages of notes and 58 pages of references to journals, books and articles tucked away at the end of the book. Impressive, but not overpowering!

This statement in the Introduction sets the tone:
“The brain is nothing if not a talented learning machine. Nothing is completely fixed. Biology powerfully affects but does not lock in our reality. We can alter that reality and use our intelligence and determination both to celebrate and, when necessary, to change the effects of sex hormones on brain structure, behavior, reality, creativity—and destiny.” – Louann Brizendine

Next book on my list: “The Male Brain”, also by Louann Brizendine.