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Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps--and What We Can Do About It
by
Lise Eliot
In the past decade, we've heard a lot about the innate differences between males and females. As a result, we've come to accept that boys can't focus in a classroom and girls are obsessed with relationships. That's just the way they're built. In Pink Brain Blue Brain, neuroscientist Lise Eliot turns that thinking on its head. Based on years of exhaustive research and her o...more
Hardcover, 432 pages
Published
September 14th 2009
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
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Another librarian recommendation--I don't read books like this willingly, but in this case, I was forced to check it out.
It was boring. I'll be honest. I'm not big on the science of brains, and all my biology knowledge is gone, so I basically just skimmed it.
It speaks a lot of truth though, particularly about how perceived gender differences are mainly because of society--we don't LET little girls play with trains and cars, we don't LET little boys play with dolls. So therefore, li...more
It was boring. I'll be honest. I'm not big on the science of brains, and all my biology knowledge is gone, so I basically just skimmed it.
It speaks a lot of truth though, particularly about how perceived gender differences are mainly because of society--we don't LET little girls play with trains and cars, we don't LET little boys play with dolls. So therefore, li...more
I have been looking into the subject of gender differences more and more now. This is one of two books that has come out recently that runs contrary to most of the extreme claims made in other books about men and women. The other being DELUSIONS OF GENDER by Cordelia Fine. Both books try to show whether the differences are innate, biological or some exaggeration of one or the other. This one had a more moderate approach and was more oriented towards helping children, rather than helping adult wo...more
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An ambitious blend of neuroscience and sociology. Eliot uses both personal experience and neurobiology to critique the theory that male and female children are innately radically different from each other. Instead, social conditioning accounts for most of what comprises typical "male" and "female" roles. Thus, she reasons, boys are every bit as capable of "nurturing" activities as girls and that girls ought to engage in more competitive activities traditionally rese...more
This careful yet very readable examination of scientific research on brain differences between the sexes -- prenatal, infant, childhood, teen -- is an antidote to media hype about vast, obvious differences. A brain scientist, the author details the biological differences (or lack of difference) revealed by current research and suggests strategies for parents and teachers to help children of both sexes reach their full potentials. She points out that much research on sex differences in male/fema...more
Abbreviated review - full review appears on Amazon.Com
Lise Eliot's book focuses primarily on the slight differences between male and female brains in prenatal fetuses and in infants, and how those differences may grow over time through cultural influences. She distinguishes between the effects of hormones, developmental differences, and cultural expectations and impacts. What is particularly notable is that she never makes a statement without listing an associated study. In fact, she...more
Lise Eliot's book focuses primarily on the slight differences between male and female brains in prenatal fetuses and in infants, and how those differences may grow over time through cultural influences. She distinguishes between the effects of hormones, developmental differences, and cultural expectations and impacts. What is particularly notable is that she never makes a statement without listing an associated study. In fact, she...more
I have mixed feelings about this book:
PRO:
*The author knows her science and presents facts in a very levelheaded way. Sources are fastidiously documented in a nearly 100 page appendix.
*The author discusses both boys and girls, the sexist views our society holds and how those views effects their development
*The author offers suggestions for helping children nurture talents that may not be their preferred way of behaving
CONS:
*The author rarely shows any enga...more
PRO:
*The author knows her science and presents facts in a very levelheaded way. Sources are fastidiously documented in a nearly 100 page appendix.
*The author discusses both boys and girls, the sexist views our society holds and how those views effects their development
*The author offers suggestions for helping children nurture talents that may not be their preferred way of behaving
CONS:
*The author rarely shows any enga...more
This book was great. It does away with many old myths and presumptions about boys and girls. Here are 9 things I will never forget after reading this book. #1 The corpus callosum is the same in both sexes. #2 There is a "first puberty" at 3 months. #3 soy formula is banned in the UK. #4 pushing more writing ability in Kindergarten doesn't necessarily benefit boys because of their slower rate to develop fine motor skills. #5 most elementary school teachers are female, which can have all...more
People are always interested in the differences between males and females. And, unfortunately, stereotypes sell better. "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus", which Eliot referred in this book, is a very good example. I've read that book, too. While it was highly entertaining, I was not convinced. Because males in Japan behave very differently from American counterparts. I thought cultural difference was greater than gender difference. Lise Eliot's thoughtful approach "Pink Br...more
Ever since I've been in college, I've been studying, reading about and challenging others about gender stereotypes, perceived and biological gender differences, and alternatives to traditional gender roles. Now that I am going to embark on the awesome journey of raising a child, I'm happy to have come across Lise Eliot's thoughtful and well-argued book, Pink Brain, Blue Brain. It gave me an opportunity, now three months before my baby's birth, to review and potentially revise some of my stance...more
My grandma swears by estrogen injections. A long time ago, perhaps on the seventh day, a doctor she trusted very much started her on them and told her to never, ever stop getting them. She continued, as the estrogen made her feel good. As it turns out, lots of doctors did this. Estrogen was considered to be some kind of miracle cure; it elevated mood and enhanced overall functioning.
But in 2003, after something like thirty years of longitudinal study, it was determined that high leve...more
But in 2003, after something like thirty years of longitudinal study, it was determined that high leve...more
I thought this was really intriguing. Basically, the take home message is that boys and girls are different, but not anywhere near as different (at least in the early years) as it's often thought. Experiences and socialization cement early small differences into larger gaps, and helping both genders of kids choose a wide range of activities can eliminate many of the differences in terms of careers and relationships. Specific suggestions are offered to help accomplish this - like exposing girls t...more
Accessible, straightforward but never patronising, Dr Lise Eliots systematic analysis of the neuroscience of gender difference in children is fascinating. It stresses the plasticity of infant brains, and wades into the world of nature and nurture with an informed and personally passionate perspective.
Best of all, for those of us who have children and want to try and give them as many options as possible, each chapter ends with practical suggestions to incorporate to try and balance out...more
Best of all, for those of us who have children and want to try and give them as many options as possible, each chapter ends with practical suggestions to incorporate to try and balance out...more
I think that this book is an important one. Eliot shows how gender differences occur naturally and become stronger through nurture. Since young children are strongly influenced by their gender identity and tend to self-segregate, it's up to parents to strongly nudge them toward "opposite gender" toys and activities. A typical girl spends hundreds of hours in the preschool years playing mommy in her toy kitchen or painting at an easel--so she will grow stronger in verbal, empathetic, a...more
As the mother of three sons, I've always been interested in learning more about what is hardwired into males and females, and what is influenced by environment. So when I heard about this book, I immediately put it on hold at the library.
Eliot is a neuroscientist, a graduate from Harvard and Columbia, an associate professor of neuroscience, and mother of two sons and a daughter. The basic premise of the book is that although yes, males and females have biologically based differences...more
Eliot is a neuroscientist, a graduate from Harvard and Columbia, an associate professor of neuroscience, and mother of two sons and a daughter. The basic premise of the book is that although yes, males and females have biologically based differences...more
A book that is geared toward educators and parents (neither of which I am or ever will be), but full of wonderful tidbits about the differences of males and females that I was interested in from the sheer perspective of being human.
Eliot delves into the stereotypical differences that apply to American males and females (though she rarely specifies "American", she does bring up other cultures often enough to remind the reader that adults around the world don't have the same ...more
Eliot delves into the stereotypical differences that apply to American males and females (though she rarely specifies "American", she does bring up other cultures often enough to remind the reader that adults around the world don't have the same ...more
Parts of this book highlighted fascinating studies on gender differences and perceptions and how much of these might be innate, adding to the long-running nature vs. nurture debate. Other parts of the book read like a biology text and were, in my opinion, far less fascinating. I enjoyed her discussions of various studies, but found myself skipping paragraphs trying to plod through the biology lessons. And her recommendations just really don't add much that's new. For babies, for instance, she re...more
Eliot offers a good rebuttal to Sax, but still falls short of really challenging the way we think about gender. She is very essentialist and normalizing, just like Sax, in her distinctions between boys and girls. I'm very against using "science" to "prove" differences between gender. Science can only prove sexual differences, not gender. Sex is biological; gender is much more complicated. She does not offer any insight into the influences of race, culture, socioeconomic backg...more
Ok, so after finishing it, I liked the author's point of view (nature is there, but nuture shapes it). However, she tended to inject her own opinions a little too frequently, which annoyed me.
The author takes on the nature/nuture polemic in this book. Her stance is that we magnify small biological differences (nature) and turn them into troublesome gaps by the way we raise girls and boys (nuture).
Sample quotes from the introduction:
"...the male-female...more
The author takes on the nature/nuture polemic in this book. Her stance is that we magnify small biological differences (nature) and turn them into troublesome gaps by the way we raise girls and boys (nuture).
Sample quotes from the introduction:
"...the male-female...more
Eliot takes a much debated issue - are girls and boys fundamentally different? - and sets out with a well restrained heart. Eliot painstakingly goes thru all available scientific research and popular culture books to sort out the truth. Are men from Mars and women from Venus? In a nutshell, no.
What Eliot does is walk us thru the research, data and the facts about the differences. I say painstakingly because this 315 page tome has almost 40 pages of endnotes and 45 pages of bibliograp...more
What Eliot does is walk us thru the research, data and the facts about the differences. I say painstakingly because this 315 page tome has almost 40 pages of endnotes and 45 pages of bibliograp...more
Kim
is currently reading it
Interesting-looking and apparently thoroughly researched, the premise is that young children hone their skills on the behaviors that society reinforces. Nothing we didn't know right? I'm looking forward to the tips this book will give me on how to encourage behaviors that society DOESN'T reinforce. More expression of feelings for little boys? More physical adventurousness for little girls? We can't rest on our laurels as parents and allow the small differences at birth become so amplified o...more
This book tries to tease about the question, how much of children's behavior is actually attributable to sex differences and how much is a result of (learned) gender? Each chapter follows a different stage of child development and explains what is going on at different times in development. I found it very interesting to think about how things like boys playing with legos and moving toys can ultimately contribute to advances in their understanding of math. Alternatively, girls' earlier maturity ...more
While there's some solid research and interesting points in here, it really ended up repeating the same observations again and again, which is summed up in the subtitle. Small, innate differences in boys and girls from conception on get reinforced and culturally pushed into larger separations. The innate may be unchangeable, but the cultural and social can be worked with by working more with each gender's less comfortable tendencies and striving for more egalitarian roles.
Frankly, ...more
Frankly, ...more
Why deny innate gender differences? Why not admit that it's all biological?
Because such thinking is socially lazy, bordering on the irresponsible. History and geography prove that societies vary and change greatly - constantly - throughout time and space, yet a mainstream narrative finds it much more important and interesting to examine our biologies for the reasons for gender differences. The pop science journalists of Newsweek and The New York Times regularly tout the experiments ...more
Because such thinking is socially lazy, bordering on the irresponsible. History and geography prove that societies vary and change greatly - constantly - throughout time and space, yet a mainstream narrative finds it much more important and interesting to examine our biologies for the reasons for gender differences. The pop science journalists of Newsweek and The New York Times regularly tout the experiments ...more
Nobody told me that women are supposed to have trouble reading maps! I spent 13 years finding my way to addresses all over several states with maps. No problem.
I was chagrined to find out that my daughter's choice of toys was not so much influenced by my attempts at a feminist up-bringing but by the fact that she had an older brother.
This is a must read for parents and teachers. The latest in what scientists know about the difference in brains between boys and girls--men and wome...more
I was chagrined to find out that my daughter's choice of toys was not so much influenced by my attempts at a feminist up-bringing but by the fact that she had an older brother.
This is a must read for parents and teachers. The latest in what scientists know about the difference in brains between boys and girls--men and wome...more
I decided to pick up this book after a few references to it in the press surrounding the publication of Peggy Orenstein’s Cinderella Ate My Daughter – understandably, since it’s the more studious, non-gender-specific cousin to Ms. Orenstein’s book. Dr. Eliot is a neuroscientist and mother to a daughter and two sons. She uses both areas of expertise to her advantage in this book – in any given section, she’s likely to not only explain the science and give a couple of examples but put it in the co...more
In this book, Lise Eliot explores what sex differences girls and boys are born with, and which are culturally driven. Based on analysis of hundreds of scientific studies, Eliot posits that neurologically, there are some differences - but they are small. These differences get magnified by culture. The brains of babies and young children have high plasticity; that is to say, the neurological pathways are easily formed. (This is why children so easily learn foreign languages, while it is much more ...more
I don't normally read books about gender differences because so much of the so called differences strike me as utter crap. When I saw Pink Brain, Blue Brain by Lise Eliot on display in the new books section of my library I was instantly drawn to the cover. First there are two grumpy toddlers on the cover, a boy in blue and a girl in pink. Secondly there's the subtle message of the title: "Pink Brain" is in baby blue and "Blue Brain" is in bubble gum pink.
Lise Elio...more
Lise Elio...more
This has been sitting on my shelf for a while, a recommendation from an old teacher; figures I'd get to it after I finished school. Eliot's work is fairly comprehensive, yet written in a relaxed way that makes it approachable to most people. While her research is fairly extensive, it is clear that Eliot approaches her overall topic with a bias, and that she allows said bias to influence her interpretation from time to time. In one instance, for example, she makes a point of warning her reader...more
I really found this book interesting! I didn't finish the whole thing but it was getting very sciency and I have a lot of books I want to read before my time becomes my baby's and not my own. I read all about the the prenatal up through the early school years and then I had to stop because I figured the rest doesn't apply to me for a while. The author details many differences between male and female development and how it affects them physically, emotionally and intellectually and how parents an...more
Excellent book. Scientific, yet straightforward and enjoyable to read. Nuanced, yet clear. The author has a refreshing willingness to take into account both biological and cultural/ social forces. Also, I really felt that she didn't go into writing this book with the attitude "I'm going to prove A, B, or C," but really just wanted to examine the research and write about what it indicates. This is rare - often authors on both sides of the nature/ nurture debate are very attached to...more
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