It's true! Men 'switch off' emotionally during rows while women become more clingy, say experts
By Claire Bates
29th September 2010
Women who accuse men of not listening to them during a furious argument, may actually be right.
Scientists have found that men effectively 'check out' in stressful situations, while women become more responsive to emotional responses.
A study by researchers at the University of Southern California studied how men and women reacted to tense situations.
The found that men who looked at angry faces had diminished activity in the brain regions responsible for understanding how other people felt. In contrast women showed heightened activity.
Study author Professor Mara Mather at USC said: 'These are the first findings to indicate that sex differences in the effects of stress on social behavior extend to one of the most basic social transactions - processing someone else's facial expression.
'Under stress, men tend to withdraw socially while women seek emotional support.'
Writing in the journal NeuroReport, the researchers presented evidence that under acute stress, men responded less to facial expressions - particularly fear and anger.
A group of nearly 50 men and women were asked to look at pictures of faces under controlled conditions. Both groups showed activity in the part of the brain used in basic visual processing and in the parts used to interpret and understand facial expressions.
Then their cortisol levels, a known indication of stress, were manipulated using the cold pressor stress test.
Men under acute stress showed decreased activity not only in the fusiform face area but also decreased coordination among parts of the brain that help us interpret what emotions these faces are conveying.
In a marked sex difference, women under stress showed the opposite.
Men and women under stress were as adept as those in the control group at remembering the faces.
Professor Mather said: 'The study indicates that experiencing acute stress can affect subsequent activity and interactions in brain regions in opposite ways for males and females.'
Prior research has shown the crucial role of the insula in helping us simulate the experiences of others, while the temporal pole has been shown to be important for understanding the emotions of others. Both are part of a known circuit - along with the inferior frontal region and the amygdala - that contribute to empathy and social understanding.
The study looked at forty-seven right-handed non-smokers. All participants were asked to refrain from exercise or caffeine in the hour before the study and none of the participants were on hormonal medications.
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