With Dr Carole Hooven...
With David Geary...
Learning Points:
The Biological Reality and Binary Nature of Sex:
- Sex is Binary: Dr. Carole Hooven asserts that sex is binary in mammals, including humans, and is not a spectrum. She contends that rare intersex conditions (affecting 0.02% of people) do not disprove this fundamental biological reality.
- Innate Brain Differences: Dr. David Geary highlights significant, early-emerging structural and functional differences in male and female brains. Brain patterns can predict sex with 93% accuracy in 10-year-olds and 95% in adults, with these differences detectable even prenatally (at six months of gestation) and in early infancy. This strongly suggests a biological foundation before significant socialisation.
- Hormonal Influence: Both experts emphasize the critical role of lifetime exposure to sex hormones (testosterone and estrogen), starting in fetal development, in shaping these brain differences and associated behaviours.
Maternal Instinct: A Biological Imperative:
- Not a Myth: Dr. Hooven vehemently refutes the notion that "maternal instinct is a myth that men created," calling it "blatantly false" and damaging to science. She argues that this idea is promoted by some feminists who "grasp at straws" to support equal rights, but that distorting biological facts is unnecessary and dangerous.
- Evidence from Nature and Biology: She provides evidence from non-human mammals, where females are the sole providers of parental care in 95% of species. She also points to hormonal and neurological mechanisms that contribute to maternal care in humans. Her personal experience and observations, such as women's desire to smell babies and the physical pain of engorged breasts when unable to breastfeed, reinforce its biological basis.
Male Sex Drive and the Stigmatisation of Masculinity:
- Profound Libido Changes: Dr. Hooven describes how females transitioning to males often experience a shocking and "through the roof" increase in libido, leading them to "get it now" regarding male sexual drive and objectification. They often report a shift from holistic attraction to objectified sexual attraction.
- "Pathologized" Male Drive: She expresses concern that innate, testosterone-driven male urges, such as an intense libido and a tendency towards objectification, are often "pathologized" as "toxic masculinity". She advocates for empathy and understanding of these biological mechanisms, noting that if women were born male, they would experience similar drives.
- Post-Nut Clarity: This male phenomenon of re-evaluating options after sex is discussed, with the suggestion that it may be rooted in ancestral reproductive strategies where men might assess whether to pair-bond or seek other mates.
- Upcoming Book: Dr. Hooven is planning to write a book focused on male puberty, aiming to destigmatise and celebrate this stage of development, helping young men and those around them understand its challenges without negative messaging.
The Gender Equality Paradox and Differential Interests/Abilities:
- Increased Differences in Egalitarian Societies: Dr. Geary's "Gender Equality Paradox" suggests that as societies become more gender-equal and prosperous, sex differences in interests, abilities, and even physical traits (like height) tend to increase. This occurs because greater freedom allows individuals to better express their inherent, biologically influenced preferences.
- STEM Participation: This paradox is evident in STEM fields, where more gender-equal countries see proportionally fewer women pursuing "inorganic sciences" (e.g., computer science, engineering). This is linked to women's comparative advantage often lying in language/reading (folk psychology), while men's tends to be in spatial/math abilities (folk physics).
- Folk Psychology vs. Folk Physics: Dr. Geary categorises cognitive strengths:
- Girls/Women excel in "folk psychology": skills for one-on-one social interaction, relationship maintenance, and understanding emotional cues (e.g., reading facial expressions, theory of mind), crucial for social support networks and nuanced "relational aggression".
- Boys/Men excel in "folk physics": skills for navigating the physical world, tracking moving objects, and manipulating tools (e.g., spatial abilities, mechanical reasoning), linked to ancestral roles like hunting and male-male competition.
Socialisation vs. Innate Biology in Childhood Development:
- Early, Biologically Driven Play: Dr. Hooven argues that childhood sex differences in play (e.g., rough-and-tumble play, toy preferences) emerge very early due to differential testosterone exposure in utero and after birth, despite socialisation efforts. This is supported by studies manipulating testosterone in rats and observations in juvenile primates.
- Social Roles Theory "Overstated": Dr. Geary contends that "social roles theory" (differences primarily learned from societal expectations) is overstated. Studies show children's actual play behaviour remains sex-typical regardless of non-traditional upbringing, and similar patterns are observed in juvenile primates. This suggests an early bias in what boys (physical motion) and girls (faces, object details) attend to.
Modern Societal Issues and Their Roots:
- Rise in Transgender Youth: Dr. Geary observes a recent, rapid spike in transgender identification, particularly among adolescent girls. He attributes this largely to social contagion via social media, noting that adolescent girls' strong need for social support and inclusion makes them more susceptible to adopting ideas to fit in, often without a history of gender dysphoria. This trend is also associated with increased detransition rates.
- Economic Disengagement of Men: Dr. Geary highlights a "huge problem" with 7 million prime working-aged US men (22-55) unemployed and not seeking work. Many spend 2,000 hours per year watching screens, with 50% on prescription drugs or smoking weed. This disengagement, linked to the loss of industrial jobs, creates a "potential Tinderbox for society".
- "Sedation Hypothesis": Dr. Geary proposes a "sedation hypothesis" where digital stimuli (pornography, video games, social media) provide a "titrated dose" of status, achievement, and reproductive signals to these disaffected young men. While not truly satisfying, it is "enough to not go and burn everything down," preventing widespread social unrest by offering a substitute for real-world engagement.
- Higher Education Disparity: He notes that women now account for about 60% of four-year US college degree completions, creating a "tall girl problem" (distorted operational sex ratio for young adults) and increased competition among educated women.
- Fairness in Sports: Dr. Geary cites throwing accuracy, velocity, and dodging ability as a fundamental, large sex difference that emerges in preschool and is rooted in physical and cognitive systems. This, he argues, offers a compelling justification for a more careful consideration of transgender athletes in sports, moving beyond arguments solely focused on muscle mass.
- Grip Strength as a Predictor: Dr. Hooven mentions research suggesting grip strength is the single best predictor of the total number of mates a man has throughout his life and correlates with greater mood stability and less depression. This highlights a biological link between physical strength, male success, and well-being.