Men’s bodies release the chemicals norepinephrine and cortisol, which prompt fight-or-flight behaviors. Women, too, experience faster pulses and elevated blood pressure, but their bodies, instead, produce two different chemicals: endorphins and oxytocin, which lead to “tend-and-befriend” behaviors. Women become more affiliative and appear to be friendly. “Fight or flight” is the “normal” response . . . if you are a man, yet it is the standard to which women are held.
