Mathematic and hormones

Mathematics and Hormones
Boys use their right front brain to solve mathematical
problems. The spatial area for girls is located on both
sides of the brain and tests show that many females use
the left front verbal side of the brain to attempt to solve
mathematical problems. This is the likely explanation
for so many women counting aloud. It also goes a long
way to explaining why girls are generally better than
boys at basic calculus and their co-operation and commitment
to study often gives them the edge over boys in
arithmetic or mathematical exams.
Brain development in girls occurs much earlier than in
boys, which partially explains why they do better
earlier. But after puberty boys catch up and excel in
mathematical reasoning as testosterone boosts their
spatial ability. Tests of mathematical ability were
carried out by Johns Hopkins University in Boston on
gifted children aged between 11 and 13. They discovered
that the more difficult the tests became, the more
the boys' ability exceeded that of the girls. At the easier
levels, gifted boys beat gifted girls on a ratio of 2:1; in
the middle levels the ratio increased to 4:1; and at the
highest degree of difficulty it reached 13:1.
In 1998, Canadian brain research authority Dr
Doreen Kimura found that if you double or triple the
amount of testosterone in a male, it does not necessarily
double or triple his mathematical reasoning skills. This
shows that there is probably an optimum level for
testosterone effectiveness somewhere in the low to midrange
levels. In other words, King Kong will not necessarily
show better mathematical reasoning ability than
a man with a slow growing beard. Interestingly, testosterone
does improve women's mathematical reasoning
more dramatically than it does for men. A woman with
a moustache is therefore much more likely to make a
better engineer than one who looks like a Barbie doll.
Men score higher in map-reading ability in the autumn
when their testosterone is at its highest levels.
Girls suffering PMT get lower
scores in mathematical exams.
The education system favours boys and disadvantages
girls in mathematical exams because studies show that
girls suffering PMT have testosterone levels that are significantly
lower during this phase. One study showed
that girls with PMT scored 14% lower in mathematical
exams when they had PMT than girls who weren't
suffering PMT. A fairer system would be to arrange
exams to take place at a time that is biologically more
suitable for girls. Boys can take the tests at any time.