He Brain, She Brain

Several weeks ago, Chuck and I amused ourselves by taking an on-line test that reveals whether you have a male-type brain or a female-type brain. Offered on the BBC-UK web site, the Sex I.D. test has six separate sections that all together take about 10-15 minutes to complete. The test is rather fun to do. Should you be interested in taking the test yourself, I recommend you do so now, before reading about our results--that way you won't be biased by our experience! I'll wait right here.....go on, take it! I double-dog dare you!

Click here to take the test. If you've taken the test and have your score print-out clutched ready in your fist, scroll down.......

Part 1 involved two spatial tasks. The first task had to do with angles. We had to match an angled line with its counterpart in an arch composed of angled lines. I scored 14 out of 20; Chuck got 15 out of 20. The average for men is 15.1 out of 20; women average 13.3 out of 20. According to the test results, our scores suggest that both of our brains have both male and female traits when it comes to spatial ability.

The second task tested spatial memory. After studying an image depicting many different objects for a set period of time, we were shown a second image that was similar to the first, but had many objects rearranged. Our task was to identify the objects that had been moved. We both scored 57% on this section.
The average score for men is 39%; women have an average score of 46%. Again, the results suggest that our brains may be balanced female-male.

Part 2 was very simple: clasp your hands together, interlacing your fingers. Which thumb is on top? Both of us had our right thumb on top, which suggest that the left half of our brains is dominant. Apparently, some researchers believe that left brain dominant people are more verbal and analytical than right brain dominant folks, who are supposed to "excel in visual, spatial, and intuitive processes." But then there's the disclaimer that these ideas are debated and that they don't address people who are ambidextrous. I know I'm ambidextrous to some degree....

Part 3 investigated whether you are more likely to empathize or systemise. The first part had a series of questions that you had to answer on a scale of agreement/disagreement. My empathizing score was 13 out of 20; Chuck's was 5 out of 20. Women average a score of 10.6 out of 20; men average 7.9 out of 20. Hmmmmmm!

The second part involved looking at pictures of faces that had only the eye portion revealed. You had to select the emotion displayed by each pair of eyes. Chuck scored 7 out of 10; I got 5 out of 10. Apparently the average score on this test is the same for men and women: 6.6 out of 10. Why is this test included if it doesn't tend to separate out the sexes? My score suggests I have a balanced female-male brain; Chuck's score suggests he is a good empathizer.....

Part 4 involved measuring the length of your ring and index fingers on both hands. The ratio of the two measurements is supposed to be indicative of the amount of testoterone you were exposed to as a fetus. Men's ring fingers are generally longer than their index fingers, which gives them an average ratio of 0.982. Women have ring and index fingers that usually the same length, with an average ration of 0.991. My ratio, for both hands, was 1; Chuck had 0.96 on his right hand and 0.98 on his left hand. Yup, he's a boy!

In Part 5, after choosing which sex you were attracted to, you were shown many pairs of faces. For each pair, you had to choose which you prefered. The faces were continually altered to emphasize (or deemphasize) various features. Turns out I'm attracted to more masculine faces and Chuck is attracted to more feminine faces. Guess that works out well for us!

Part 6 involved three separate tasks. The first tested your ability to mentally rotate 3D shapes. I scored 11 out of 12; Chuck scored 7 out of 12. The average score for men is 8.2 out of 12; the average score for women is 7.1 out of 12. My score suggests I'm an engineer (hee-hee!) or have a science background (warmer, warmer!)

The second task addressed verbal fluency by showing you words and having you type words related to that word while being timed. On the first word, I typed nine words and Chuck typed 13. On the second word, I typed seven words and Chuck typed six. Total words: Chuck had 19 and I had 16. The average total words for men is 11.4 and for women is 12.4. Apparently, we both have more female type brains on this task.

The third task asked how you would split 50 pounds with someone. We both said we would demand 25 pounds (half). Apparently, we are a generous lot. On average, men demand 51.6% of the pot and women demand 51.0%.

So, the bottom line: on a male-female brain continuum, where "0" is midway between 100% male and 100% female, I scored "0" and Chuck scored 50% female.

I'm sure one could take the test a couple of times and come up with slightly different results. The test results page itself reminds you to "Bear in mind that your performance may be affected by many factors in addition to gender, like age and intelligence." I find our particular results very fascinating and wonder if they could at all reflect some of our attraction for one another. Although the test shows clearly that I am attracted to masculine faces, I wonder if the female aspects of Chuck's intellect also factor into my attraction for him? Does my balanced female-male brain provide a subconscious attraction for him?

So, I'm curious: how does your significant other score on these tests in comparison with you? Do you have different, complementary scores? Or do you score similarly? Let's do a little study--leave some comments below and share how both your brains fared.