Why Men Find Switching Tasks More Difficult Than Do Women

It has long been known to science that women find it easier than men to multitask and switch between tasks. But identifying exactly which areas of male and female brains respond differently and why has so far been unclear. According to researchers from the HSE Neurolinguistics Laboratory, men need to mobilise additional areas of their brain and use more energy than women when multitasking.

Why Men Find Switching Tasks More Difficult

Needing to switch attention between tasks causes stronger activation in certain brain regions in men compared to women.

Although women find it easier than men to switch between tasks; how exactly their brains function differently in such situations has so far been unknown. Recent research reveals that male brains appear to consume more energy when they need to shift attention. In addition to this, in men there is greater activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal areas of the brain compared to women, as well as activation in some other areas which is not usually observed in women.

Such differences are typical of younger men and women aged 20 to 45, according to findings from experiments conducted by researchers Svetlana Kuptsova and Maria Ivanova of the HSE Neurolinguistic Laboratory, radiologists Alexey Petrushevsky and Oksana Fedina of the Centre for Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation, and Ludmila Zhavoronkova, Doctor of Biology and Senior Research Fellow of the RAS Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology. The study's findings have been published in Human Physiology, an international peer-reviewed journal.

Higher Activity, Slower Speed

Regardless of gender and age, task switching always involves activation in certain areas of the brain, more specifically, bilateral activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal areas, inferior parietal lobes and inferior occipital gyrus.

However, experiments conducted by Kuptsova et al. demonstrate that in women, task switching appears to require less brain power compared to men, who showed greater activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal areas as well as the involvement of supplementary motor areas and insula, which was not observed in women.

"We know that stronger activation and involvement of supplementary areas of the brain are normally observed in subjects faced with complex tasks. Our findings suggest that women might find it easier than men to switch attention and their brains do not need to mobilise extra resources in doing so, as opposed to male brains," explained Kuptsova.

The experiments involved 140 healthy volunteers, including 69 men and 71 women aged between 20 and 65. The subjects were asked to perform a variety of tasks. In one of the experiments using functional MRI, they were asked to perform a test that required switching attention between sorting objects according to shape (round or square) and number (one or two), in a pseudo-random order. In addition to this, neuropsychological tests were conducted, including the D-KEFS Trail Making Test to measure the subjects' ability to switch attention and the Wechsler Memory Scale test to measure their audial and visual memory.

The use of functional MRI allowed the researchers not only to observe the subjects' behaviour, but also to see what was going on in the brain as subjects switched between tasks and detect differences in brain activation between men and women.

Age versus Gender

The researchers found that the gender differences in the extent of brain activation when switching between tasks only occurred in subjects younger that 45-50, while those aged 50 and older showed no gender differences either in brain activation or speed of task switching.

According to the researchers, older men and women - starting at the age of 45 in women and 55 in men - experienced both increased activation of key areas involved and mobilisation of additional brain resources.

Brain Mystery

The study has once again confirmed that young women tend to cope with attention switching better than young men. While the reaction time is demonstrably different, according to Kuptsova, it is barely noticeable in everyday life, except perhaps that, "it might make a difference in really stressful circumstances or in critical situations which require frequent switching of attention."

However, science cannot currently explain the exact reasons for this difference. Any assumptions as to why nature might need it are nothing but speculation, Kuptsova argues.

For example, there is a popular hypothesis by American psychologist Jerre Levy as to why men tend to have better spatial skills while women are often better at more verbal tasks. According to Levy, these differences are caused by both evolutionary and social factors. In ancient times, men spent their time hunting, which required good spatial abilities, while women were caring for children and thus needed good communication skills. In the course of evolution, these survival skills have been passed down to future generations.

"We could continue with the same logic and assume that homemaking and caring for children historically required women to be good at multitasking, but there is no hard evidence to support this theory," Kuptsova concludes.

The study was hosted by the Centre for Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation.

Contacts and sources:
National Research University - Higher School of Economics (HSE)

Citation: Sex- and age-related characteristics of brain functioning during task switching (fMRI study) Authors Authors and affiliations S. V. KuptsovaEmail authorM. V. Ivanova, A. G. Petrushevskiy, O. N. FedinaL. A. Zhavoronkova. Human Physiology July 2016, Volume 42, Issue 4, pp 361–370 2016 DOI: 10.1134/S0362119716040101 Source: http://www.ineffableisland.com/
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Humans doomed if they don't find another liveable planet: Hawking

Humanity will not survive another 1,000 years on Earth alone and the human race must find another planet to live on, one of the world's best-known physicists, Stephen Hawking has warned.

''I don't think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our fragile planet,'' the celebrated theoretical physicist and cosmologist said.

He painted a grave picture of the future while delivering a lecture on the universe and the origins of human beings at the Oxford Union debating society.

Professor Hawking, 74, reflected on the understanding of the universe garnered from breakthroughs over the past five decades, describing 2016 as a ''glorious time to be alive and doing research into theoretical physics''.

''Our picture of the universe has changed a great deal in the last 50 years and I am happy if I have made a small contribution,'' he was quoted as saying by The Independent.

''The fact that we humans, who are ourselves mere fundamental particles of nature, have been able to come this close to understanding the laws that govern us and the universe is certainly a triumph,'' Hawking said on Monday.

Highlighting ''ambitious'' experiments that will give an even more precise picture of the universe, he said, ''We will map the position of millions of galaxies with the help of (super) computers like Cosmos. We will better understand our place in the universe.

''Perhaps one day we will be able to use gravitational waves to look right back into the heart of the Big Bang. But we must also continue to go into space for the future of humanity,'' he said.

Hawking's predictions for humanity have been bleak in recent months.

In January, he cautioned developments in science and technology are producing ''new ways things can go wrong''.

The paraplegic scientist also estimated self-sustaining human colonies on Mars would not be constructed for another 100 years, meaning the human race must be ''very careful'' in the time before then.

Hawking advised a deeply polarised Britain that ''just like children, we will have to learn to share as we face perilous times'' in an essay criticising the attitudes towards wealth that precipitated Brexit.

After the stark warning, Hawking finished with a more galvanising message encouraging students to explore the mysteries of the universe not yet solved.

''Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up,'' he said. Source: domain-b.com
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