What type is my brain?
I read the article in the Guardian today about the differences between male and female brains by Simon Baron-Cohen (as far as I know, he’s no relation of Ali G). His hypothesis is that people have empathising qualities or systemising qualities. More women than men have a predominantly empathetic brain, and more men than women have a predominantly systemising brain. The basic idea isn’t exactly new, but there was a test you could take online to see which kind of brain you have. In the name of scientific research â and curious about what I would find, since even I regard myself as a bit of an odd fish â I decided to give it a go.
After 120 questions, I was beginning to wish I hadn’t even started, but â for what it’s worth â my results are below. There were 60 questions for each of the tests, each with four possible responses; definitely agree or slightly agree, slightly disagree, definitely disagree. Some of the questions are just plain funny or bizarre. For example on the EQ test:
When I was a child, I enjoyed cutting up worms to see what would happen.
Unfortunately, there was no “What kind of psychopathic freak do you take me for!” response available. On the SQ test, this question made me chuckle:
When travelling by train, I often wonder exactly how the rail networks are coordinated.
In the UK, everyone travelling by train wonders how the hell the rail networks are not coordinated, and they then go on to speculate about the train operators inability to organize a piss up in brewery.
I tried to answer the questions as honestly as possible, so â drum roll, please â here are the scores on the doors:
EQ score is 59 53-63 = You have an above average ability for understanding how other people feel and responding appropriately. You know how to treat people with care and sensitivity. On average most women score about 47 and most men about 42. SQ score is 41 40-50 = You have an above average ability for analysing and exploring a system. On average women score about 24 and men score about 30. Most people with Asperger Syndrome or high functioning autism score between 40-50.
Well, there’s a turn up! Apparently, this means I have a ‘type B’ or ‘balanced brain’. Or, as I said earlier, I am an odd fish with both traditionally male and traditionally female interests and propensities. I have my doubts about research which draws its data from these types of questionnaires. It seems too easy for participants to see (even subconsciously) which are the ‘correct’ responses, and bias their answers accordingly. If there is a societal norm for each sex (and I think that there still is) people would probably be subconsiciously reluctant to answer in a way that goes against this norm. Having said that, societal norms probably have at least a kernel of biological truth.
I also have problems with the pictures that The Guardian chose to illustrate the piece with. Both photographs appear to date from the 1950s: on one side of the page, a girl in a nurse’s uniform takes the pulse of her doll. On the other side, a boy does manly things with his screwdriver to his meccano model. Despite the fact that Baron-Cohen makes the point repeatedly that not all men have a systemising brain, and not all women have an empathising brain, he comes out with some sweeping generalisations:
Women are more likely to spend hours happily engaged in coffee mornings or pot-luck suppers, advising friends on relationship problems or caring for friends, neighbours or pets.
Does anyone engage in coffee mornings any more (happily or otherwise)? I scored above average on EQ, but I don’t identify at all with that description (except perhaps for the bit about pets).
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How do you think? Like but sheâs a girl⦠and kadyellebee, I took the Guardianâs EQ and SQ quiz to see what my Empathy...
by bitweever.com @ 17/04/2003 9:05 pm • Permalink •
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The article was fascinating if slightly misguided, but frankly I thought the quizzes were bawbags. I appreciate that Mr B-C (who is, apparently, part of The Staines Massiv [his cousin or uncle, depending on which online community weblog you read]) was suggesting that a person can be a mix of both brain types, but I don't think that 100 questions could decide how much of each!
Anyway, good stuff----- Hmm. The results unnerved me a bit.
by jb @ 18/04/2003 11:04 am • Permalink •
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Vicky: When I said that I was joking, but my brother has just told me the same thing: Simon B-C is Ali G's cousin. Sheesh, I've been reading this guy's academic papers for a couple of years, and I never knew. No one tells me anything...
jb: Why? What did you get? I wouldn't take it too seriously anyway--as the others said, these kinds of things give you huge sweeping generalisations. I'm assuming that the numbers are pretty arbitrary.
by bsag @ 18/04/2003 5:04 pm • Permalink •
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What kind of brain do you have? (Or, Men's brains are from Mars...) Online tests are always very popular with webloggers (and, well, everyone) and I've seen this one in two unrelated blogs...
by YABlog @ 21/04/2003 4:04 pm • Permalink •
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What kind of brain do you have? (Or, Men are from Mars...) Online tests are always very popular with webloggers (and, well, everyone) and I've seen this one in two unrelated blogs...
by YABlog @ 21/04/2003 4:04 pm • Permalink •
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âWhen I was a child, I enjoyed cutting up worms to see what would happen. Unfortunately, there was no âWhat kind of psychopathic freak do you take me for!â response available. On the SQ test, this question made me chuckle: â
i thought so to⦠i thought âno way did i do thatâ⦠but then i remembered i did do âsomethingâ to worms⦠i think what itâs trying to get it is âcuriousityâ⦠worms still move if they are half stepped on sort of thing⦠i donât think i cut them up but i was very curious about the fact they could still moveâ¦
i scored 59 and 53 ⦠you do seem more of an âsâ in your journal
even though you scored 41 but maybe thatâs because you âdoâ have a balanced brain. 
by iz @ 23/04/2003 12:04 am • Permalink •
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âWhen I was a child, I enjoyed cutting up worms to see what would happen. Unfortunately, there was no âWhat kind of psychopathic freak do you take me for!â response available. On the SQ test, this question made me chuckle: â
i thought so to⦠i thought âno way did i do thatâ⦠but then i remembered i did do âsomethingâ to worms⦠i think what itâs trying to get it is âcuriousityâ⦠worms still move if they are half stepped on sort of thing⦠i donât think i cut them up but i was very curious about the fact they could still moveâ¦
i scored 59 and 53 ⦠you do seem more of an âsâ in your journal
even though you scored 41 but maybe thatâs because you âdoâ have a balanced brain. 
by iz @ 23/04/2003 12:04 am • Permalink •
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Whilst agreeing with the evidence that Baro- Cohen notes concerning the differences between male and female brains, I am not sure that the tests offered, especially the male orientated Systemising Test, are in fact fair or valid tests. Therefore if the tests aren't fair then the theory may be suspect. The Systemising test states that it differentiates the males higher ability for processing systems over the female. However the test disregards, and does not measure, that females can systemise and are interested in processes, but only if it is related to the personal and the practical. The Systemising Test asked about the respondents interests in computers or systems of weather patterning. If the test had asked questions about systems of the emotions then a higher scores may have been obtained by women. For example the Systemising Test could have asked if respondents agreeded or otherwise to a statement such as
"I am interested in the different reasons for why some people become embarrassed in social situations"
Or
"The underlying processes of why some people get angry and others don't interests me".
Here are questions about "systems" ie systms of thinking or responding, which are framed around the emotions rather than mechanical things. I would argue that woman are very practical creatures and are systematic when they feel this ability is going to be useful at the time. Men like train spotters, collect information which is useless most of the time.
Therfore I feel the test is unfair towards woman and therefore invalid Ann
by ann @ 26/05/2003 12:05 pm • Permalink •
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They Might Be Giants. Pixies, although they just vioxx broke up before too much of it got to happen. Here's ambien another bold statement: in my opinion, there are druglesy enough exceptions to this theory present in jazz, celebrex that as a music I will exempt it from that entire propecia clause. You can certainly find examples where a soma group split apart into factions or solo artists paxil that weren't as interesting, but this is more infrequent cialis as less relevant. There. Often when I'm walking tramadol around wearing my headphones, I see other people zyrtec also wearing headphones, and of course I wonder
by paxil @ 18/11/2003 11:11 pm • Permalink •
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