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Male Brains Aren't Designed To Listen to Female Voices
Stylecaster ^ | 06/07/11 | Andrea Uku

Posted on 07/13/2011 9:43:33 AM PDT by freespirited

If you've ever spent time telling a guy a story or asking him a question, only to get a blank stare in response, then you know that there's definitely truth to this claim that guys weren't designed to hear us speak. I had a similar experience at brunch this weekend when I was going on and on to a male friend about something I can't even remember anymore. When I got to the end of my rant and finally asked him if he agreed with me on the topic at hand, his answer was, "sorry, I really wasn't listening to a word you said."

Even though I was incredibly frustrated with him, he did bring up a good point, asking, "would you rather I lie and say I heard you?" This little exchange, as insignificant as it was, did make me wonder exactly what it is that makes it so easy for men to tune us out.

As it turns out, a study published in the journal NeuroImage sought to answer the very same question. Researchers found that there are major differences in the way male and female brains process voice sounds. Different brain regions are activated in men, depending on whether they're hearing a male or female voice.

Apparently, the vibration and number of sound waves in our voice makes it harder for men to decipher what we're saying. When it comes to processing a woman's voice, they use the more complex auditory part of the brain that processes music, not human voices. But the guys in the study could easily hear and understand other men’s voices as speech because that uses a simpler brain mechanism at the back of the brain.

So, next time you want to get angry and yell at a guy for "not listening," cut him a little slack – his brain just wasn't made to hear you. My suggestion would be to speak slowly and get to your point fast.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: femalevoice; malebrain; validationseeking; yappyappyapp
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To: rhombus
Then why do they use simulated female voices in cockpit warnings? This is settled science - not.

And I use a female voice setting on my GPS. Female voices are easier to pick out and understand under conditions of high ambient noise -- PROVIDED the female voice is understood as having something important to communicate.

101 posted on 07/13/2011 10:24:56 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (In the land of the pigs, the butcher is king.)
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To: Mr. K

Oh, absolutely! Rofl, Dave Barry has us pegged!

We teen girls used to sprawl on one of our eyelet-lace bedspreads in high school, listening to music and going over and over a 20- second exchange earlier that day with some poor guy. “what do you think he Really Meant when he said he’d be there this weekend?” or “when he said ‘I’m ok.”? We could spin each few syllables of utterance into hours of analysis.

Now I have 3 sons. And I know now!! When a boy says he’s thinking about nothing, he really IS thinking about nothing! We sure wasted a lot of time on that bedspread analyzing!! We could have done equally well wondering if each breeze had hidden meanings.


102 posted on 07/13/2011 10:25:31 AM PDT by Yaelle
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To: freespirited
I had a similar experience at brunch this weekend when I was going on and on to a male friend about something I can't even remember anymore.

AND

When I got to the end of my rant and finally asked him if he agreed with me on the topic at hand, his answer was, "sorry, I really wasn't listening to a word you said."

Maybe, I say just maybe, there's some kind of correlation going on here.

≤}B^)

103 posted on 07/13/2011 10:25:35 AM PDT by Erasmus (I love "The Raven," but then what do I know? I'm just a poetaster.)
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To: freespirited

Not going to go there. Wouldn't be prudent.


104 posted on 07/13/2011 10:26:30 AM PDT by McGruff (Don't go wobbly on me now GOP)
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To: Yaelle
We do talk too much, but we shut up faster with honest validation. Just get out a few nice words explaining how you totally get what we are saying. When we feel we got through, we are happy and quiet.

If it were only that simple. I consider myself a good listener. I dated a woman a couple of years ago that I was very attracted to. Finally, after 2-3 months I told her flat out that I could no longer date her. When she asked me why I said, "Because you never ever shut up!"

We are still friends but the dating is over.

105 posted on 07/13/2011 10:26:40 AM PDT by houeto
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To: rhombus
Then why do they use simulated female voices in cockpit warnings? This is settled science - not.

It's been years since I read the study - dealt with when a woman's voice should be used in an emergency and when a man's voice should be used. I'd probably get it backwards after all these years - but both types of voices in certain circumstances - are needed...

106 posted on 07/13/2011 10:27:07 AM PDT by GOPJ (Honk if I'm paying for your car, your mortgage, and your big, fat Greek bailout - mewzilla)
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To: Yaelle
What was that?
107 posted on 07/13/2011 10:27:52 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (Holy flippin' crap, Sarah rocks the world!)
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To: SunkenCiv

GGG?


108 posted on 07/13/2011 10:27:56 AM PDT by Fractal Trader
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To: freespirited
I have noticed that for me female voices coming over television are generally obnoxious. The same female face to face is not bad. In addition, women on TV with voices in the lower registers are tolerable. I think womens voices are not handled well by the electronic medium.

I always listen to my wife, thirty years experience has shown me her wisdom. The "young things" have little to say-Fox News with their "info babes" is particularily guilty of the pretty face fallacy.

109 posted on 07/13/2011 10:28:41 AM PDT by AEMILIUS PAULUS (It is a shame that when these people give a riot)
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To: Zeppo

I once had a friend tell me that the sound of a baby crying was “A Joyous noise”

I told him it was the most horrible noise in the world. It was meant to be. If it was a joyous noise we would all just stand around and listen to it instead of changing, feeding, comforting. The child would be neglected.

Instead, everyone does whatever is necessary to MAKE IT STOP PLEASE!!!!!!!! and the child’s well being is assured.

Can’t explain the woman thing-other than they need to change their perspective as to how truly important they think every jewel is that rolls out of their mouth.


110 posted on 07/13/2011 10:30:21 AM PDT by 5Madman2 (There is no such thing as an experienced suicide bomber)
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To: Salamander
Don’t ~ever~ think we don’t know about this “loophole”....:)

That is just downright sinister!

111 posted on 07/13/2011 10:30:29 AM PDT by houeto
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To: freespirited
NO wonder ‘feminism’ exploded onto the public. Unfortunately, it was the feminist males that helped create the itch contingent... and the male who comes onto the scene from their birth their birthright is to be the leader.

I have encountered as many male itches as female ones. Itch, itch, itch, about the so called lessor specimen. And then the male has the nerve to claim they were manipulated .... when they had the whole story told to them but they could not would not take the time to ‘listen’, and call it nagging... Now what is it they say about insanity????????????????????????

112 posted on 07/13/2011 10:30:38 AM PDT by Just mythoughts
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113 posted on 07/13/2011 10:31:15 AM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list.)
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To: indylindy
My husband says it isn’t his brain, it is his ears.

I agree. Plus some women have adopted really strange speech affectations in recent years. Every time Margaret Hoover starts blathering on Fox I immediately change channels -- it's literally painful to listen to her.

114 posted on 07/13/2011 10:31:57 AM PDT by Bernard Marx
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To: freespirited

Men’s brains are always thinking about two things, “I want a beer, and I want to see something naked.” - Jeff Foxworthy


115 posted on 07/13/2011 10:31:57 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: freespirited
LOL. But through evolution, women have adapted!! They have the genetic ability to emit a piercing whine that can get through to the male brain. Or if that doesn't work, evolution gave them one other tool: an ability to nag and bitch until the message gets through.
116 posted on 07/13/2011 10:33:14 AM PDT by Opinionated Blowhard ("When the people find they can vote themselves money, that will herald the end of the republic.")
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To: freespirited

The woman in this article must be the same woman who does the “Voice” for the GPS system I have. “500 feet, turn left”. “200 feet, turn left”. “Turn left, NOW”. “TURN LEFT NOW”!!!
“DIDN’T YOU HEAR ME? I SAID TURN LEFT”!!!!

RECALCULATING...you dumb xxxxx


117 posted on 07/13/2011 10:33:25 AM PDT by miele man
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To: central_va

Personally, I have this theory that men are born with only so many words and we have to conserve them carefully through life. Grunts don’t count because they are not words and repeated words don’t count because they are an echo. We have to get the most out of each word as possible.

So far only a few men have run out of words before dying, we are that good at it.


118 posted on 07/13/2011 10:33:28 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple ( getting closer to the truth.................)
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To: houeto

Yes...it is, isn’t it?

>:-]


119 posted on 07/13/2011 10:33:59 AM PDT by Salamander (You trap. You kill. You eat. That's what a good spider does.)
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To: freespirited

Most likely because they can’t understand intelligent voices. Now if we talked beer, NASCAR, dames, etc. they’d be paying attention and god forbid, even joining in the discussion. (LOL)


120 posted on 07/13/2011 10:34:43 AM PDT by SkyDancer (You know, they invented wheelbarrows to teach FAA inspectors to walk on their hind legs.)
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