How to Better Understand the Male Mindset

Women are often portrayed as being the enigmatic gender, but men present their own fair share of mystery and confusion, especially when it comes to dating. Does he like me as more than a friend, or is he simply just a nice guy? Does he actually wait to text me back because he’s playing hard to get, or am I just overanalyzing everything again? Why was he so eager to talk on the phone last week but now he’s MIA?

These questions and many more plague women trying to navigate the dating scene; some people may argue that gender is arbitrary and people are just individuals, each with their own unique set of nuances we must learn to interpret and understand, but there is a large difference between male and female mentalities. Even on a biological level, there is a difference between male and female brains. Coupled with societal roles and environmental influences, men and women think, behave and communicate in vastly different ways in every culture around the globe.

How do Men Think?

Different matter of the brain is utilized when men and women are thinking. Men use seven percent more gray matter while performing an activity than women, though women use 10 percent. In layman’s terms, this means that men are capable of focusing on individual tasks much more precisely than women, while their female counterparts can multi-task and think more critically during the process.

How can this translate to everyday life? Think of men as having mental tunnel vision. While women may constantly be thinking of what they’re doing next and what has to be done, men are much more likely to live “in the moment” and only address things that require immediate attention.

Do Men Feel as much as Women?

The answer to this question is short and sweet: yes. Despite outward appearances and misconceptions, men and women are both capable of and do experience the same emotions at the same intensity. Why do they seem so different when exposed to emotional situations like breakups? The answer lies in neurocircuitry of the brain.

Women’s emotional responses are largely influenced by the anterior insula cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for bodily sensations. This is perhaps why women seem to “internalize” their emotional problems. When it comes to the male brain, the visual cortex is activated in times of emotional distress. This allows them to shift their views to the outside world and why they may come off as stoic or unaffected in times of crisis.

This is not to say men aren’t capable of exhibiting vulnerability and sensitivity; those who are not able to communicate clearly about their feelings are like that as a result of personal circumstances and conditioning, not because they’re physically incapable of caring as much as women.

How to Communicate with Men Better?

Confidence Builder LLC said, “Openness and honesty are key when it comes to better understanding and relating to men in your life.” Male minds are more grounded in concrete examples and situations rather than conceptual ideas and hypothetical scenarios.

When it comes to “mixed signals” and detached dating styles, women tend to read into single actions while they should be viewing them as a whole. Men are not prone to playing around and making a woman guess how they’re feeling. If a man is interested in you, it will more often than not be evident in his behavior and way of speaking.

That being said, men are also more likely to enjoy in-person contact than texting or talking on the phone, so make an effort to speak to the men in your life face-to-face and without any pretenses. At the end of the day, the male mindset is simply more rooted in the concrete world; their actions and emotions are largely in response to things that have happened or are happening to them at any given moment rather than things that could happen.

Keeping that in mind, focus on the here and now when you want to communicate better with a male. Focusing on the present and reality while bringing the remarkable female insightfulness to the table can lead to healthier, happier and more fulfilling relationships.