Study: Men listen with only half their brain

Tuesday, November 28, 2000

By LINDSEY TANNER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO -- Score one for exasperated women: New research suggests men really do listen with just half their brains.

In a study of 20 men and 20 women, brain scans showed that men when listening mostly used the left sides of their brains, the region long associated with understanding language. Women in the study, however, used both sides.

Other studies have suggested that women "can handle listening to two conversations at once," said Dr. Joseph T. Lurito, an assistant radiology professor at Indiana University School of Medicine. "One of the reasons may be that they have more brain devoted to it."