There’s a biological reason for it, too.
In an attempt to bridge the gap between the male and female minds, Reddit user bpwwhirl (Stephen in the drawing below) asked his wife to draw him a simple picture of what’s on her mind. What he got back was a startling portrait of a woman’s inner world, which might look overwhelming to most men.
via Imgur
An incomplete catalog of Stephen’s wife’s current thoughts:
- Kids
- The BBC (Dr. Who, in particular)
- Bills
- Pressure washers
- Boobs
- Laundry
- Girl Scouts
- The moral compass of her children
- Dirt beneath the fridge
- Feminist guilt
- Milkshakes
One reason that Stephen may be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of thoughts on his wife’s mind is that she most likely can process multiple thoughts easier than him. Women use 10 times more white matter in their brains than men. According to Psychology Today, “This profound brain-processing difference is probably one reason you may have noticed that girls tend to more quickly transition between tasks than boys do. The gray-white matter difference may explain why, in adulthood, females are great multitaskers, while men excel in highly task-focused projects.”
But Stephen has his own unique abilities, because men use seven times more gray matter than women. According to Psychology Today, “Gray-matter areas of the brain are localized. They are information- and action-processing centers in specific splotches in a specific area of the brain. This can translate to a kind of tunnel vision when they are doing something. Once they are deeply engaged in a task or game, they may not demonstrate much sensitivity to other people or their surroundings.”
So, if Stephen’s wife asked him to return the favor and draw a picture of what’s on his mind, it would probably look something like this:
Photo Courtesy of Tod Perry
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(H/T Reddit)