Author | Louann Brizendine |
---|---|
Publisher | Morgan Road Books |
Publication date | 2006 |
Media type | Print (hardcover) |
Pages | 187, 210 including notes. |
ISBN | 0-7679-2009-0 |
OCLC | 63660885 |
612.8 22 | |
LC Class | QP376 .B755 2006 |
The Female Brain is a book written by the American neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine in 2006. The main thesis of the book is that women's behavior is different from that of men due, in large measure, to hormonal differences. Brizendine says that the human female brain is affected by the following hormones: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, oxytocin, neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin), and that there are differences in the architecture of the brain (prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, amygdala) that regulate such hormones and neurotransmitters.
The Female Brain has seven chapters, each one of which is dedicated to a specific part of a woman's life, such as puberty, motherhood, and menopause, or a specific dimension of a women's emotional life, such as feelings, love and trust, and sex. The book also includes three appendices on hormone therapy, postpartum depression, and sexual orientation.
The book sold well but received mixed reviews because a number of journalists, popular science writers, and scientists questioned the validity of some of the content.
Some of the authors that supported the content of the book include:
Some of the authors that criticized the content of the book include:
Brizendine was given the tongue-in-cheek 2006 Becky Award, for "outstanding contributions to linguistic misinformation".[8] The award cited errors in The Female Brain, including one sentence (removed from subsequent printings) which contrasted the number of words used by men and women in one day. The numbers had been taken from a book by a self-help guru and were incorrect.[9]
Main article: The Female Brain (film) |
The Female Brain was loosely adapted as a romantic comedy movie of the same name in 2017. Brizendine served as the inspiration for the film's main character.[10]