Love This Girl

Have you ever given a woman directions? Avoid compass talk, like, “turn north on Main st”. Women don’t work that way. For the longest time I thought it was just the women I was talking to. I never thought to find a reason, just figured they couldn’t handle directions.

Now I know why. We are basically wired differently. Guys have the spatial thing worked out. We like maps, and always having a sense of direction in a place. Women find places based on landmarks. “Turn left at the gas station, then right at the church.”

Throw a man and a woman into a virtual reality maze, which will get out first? The guy. This Time’s article, “In a Virtual Maze, Men Are Smart Rats“, mentions a study that highlights this small but significant difference between men and women. Why significant you ask? If we are so different in this simple aspect, what about stuff that really matters? How many times have I dismissed/angered/upset the women in my life because I thought they were like me?

So why does this difference exist? If it is learned, can it be unlearned? Can men be made to think like women and vice-versa? This study about gay men hints that it goes back to the womb. Apparently gay men use male and female spatial techniques.

Its an interesting topic, but I just need advice. When getting directions for my girl, I guess I’ll just use the Google Maps Satelite option. Then I can say, “Turn right at that little grey spec that looks like a church.”