The Male Brain Read Online Free PDF

contests can make or break his sense of self . Even though Jessica could appreciate that males are naturally driven to test their physical abilities, she still worried that David would get hurt. But Paul--who grew up with three brothers--knew that the bumps and bruises were a normal part of boyhood.
    During the juvenile pause, boys imitate their dads, uncles, and older male cousins, and they're particularly intrigued with the men who stand out as alpha males. Go to the zoo and watch the primates, and you'll see the most powerful male sitting by himself chewing grass and the little guys running up and attacking him from behind. The little guys are playing at things they'll be required to do in their future. When the alpha male has had enough, he'll shoo away the juveniles. Undaunted, they will continue to wrestle with each other, literally tumbling across the ground. This rough-and-tumble play is also observed in groups of human boys everywhere.

SHOWING HIS STRENGTH
    By the time boys are in first grade, they get a brain high when they show their strength and aggression. Using physical force together with insults is even better. As child researcher Eleanor Maccoby says, "These boys are just trying to have their kind of fun ." This way of playing gives their brain a massive feel-good reward in the form of a dopamine rush . The neurochemical dopamine is addictively rewarding--the brain likes it and wants more--so boys are always seeking the thrill of the next high. That's why they love scary movies, haunted houses, and daring each other to take risks. Boys don't necessarily want to get hurt, but they usually think the excitement is worth it. Jessica said, "I'm just happy to get through a day without putting ice or Band-Aids on somebody."
    By grade school, the play styles of boys and girls in groups have diverged, and children self-impose sex segregation . Observational studies found that, worldwide, boys on playgrounds wrestle, roughhouse, and mock-fight frequently; girls do not . In addition to their different play styles, boys and girls may also dislike playing together because, as research shows, by the time boys are in first grade, they're no longer paying much attention to girls or listening to what they say. A study of boys in a first-grade classroom in Oregon found that boys paid the most attention first and foremost to what other boys said. The teachers placed second, and the girls placed a distant third-- if they placed at all . As a matter of fact, ignoring girls altogether was the most common. David and most of the other boys in his first-grade class had already sworn off playing with girls, and their female classmates were just fine with that. They didn't like playing with the boys either.
    A study on an Irish kindergarten playground may shed even more light on the girls' and boys' interactions with each other. The researchers noted that the boys monopolized the tricycles and bicycles and played ramming games, while girls--on the few occasions they got a turn to ride--were very careful not to hit other kids' bikes or anything else. The boys even became territorial and possessive of their bikes, showing a willingness to fight for them that the girls did not show .

FIRST IN LINE
    Jessica said she couldn't understand it when David's teacher wrote on his report card that he was always fighting to be the first in line for recess and lunch. Since Grace never seemed to mind waiting her turn in line, the importance David placed on being first took Jessica by surprise.
    The pecking order clearly matters more to boys. Studies show that by age two, a boy's brain is driving him to establish physical and social dominance . And by the age of six, boys tell researchers that real fighting is the " most important thing to be
learned that boys are
good at ." Scientists have also remarkably fast at establishing
dominance in a group through rough-and-tumble play.
    In a study conducted with boys and girls at a nursery school, the boys