Emotional Processing in the Female Brain

By Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch HERWriter

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Women and men each process emotions differently, which impacts each gender's response to people and situations.

Neuroscience research has investigated the different emotional pathways in the human brain. According to Rick Nauert, PhD, author of the article “Brain Activity Regulates Emotions,” the prefrontal cortex (PFC)(1) is the center of cognitive regulation of human emotions. Within the prefrontal cortex, the ventrolateral (vlPFC), dorsolateral (dlPFC) and dorsomedial (dmPFC) prefrontal cortices are activated the most during cognition-emotion tasks.

Researchers found two emotional pathways that linked with the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex. The first pathway with the nucleus accumbens(2) is related to a decrease of negative emotions. On the other hand, the second pathway with the amygdala(3) is related to an increase of negative emotions. For example, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have increased activity in the amygdala, resulting in the patient “reliving” the trauma.

Research conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reveals that “brain scans of teens...reveal an emotional circuit activating more in girls as they grow older, but not in boys.” This emotional change makes girls more prone to developing mood and anxiety disorders. According to Dr. Daniel Pine at the NIMH, “during this time of heightening sensitivity to interpersonal stress and peers' perceptions, girls are becoming increasing preoccupied with how individuals peers view them, while boys tend to become more focused on their status within group pecking orders.” The emotional circuit identified by the NIMH in this study involved the nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus(4), hippocampus(5) and insula(6).

“By contrast, males showed little change in the activity of most of these circuit areas with age, except for a decrease in activation of the insula. This may reflect a waning of interpersonal emotional ties over time in teenage males, as they shift their interest to group.” This difference in emotional processing can be used to a woman's advantage. According to Catherine Kaputa in the book “The Female Brand: Using the Female Mindset to Succeed in Business,” emotional aptitude allows women to work with others and pick up on emotional cues; men do not have this same advantage.

(1) The prefrontal cortex is in the front most part of the brain.
(2) The nucleus accumbens is in the midbrain, at the top of the brain stem. It is involved in the reward circuit of the brain.
(3) The amygdala is part of the limbic system, and is located in the medial temporal lobe.
(4) The hypothalamus is just above the brain stem and below the thalamus. It is involved in hormonal activation.
(5) The hippocampus is in the medial temporal lobe. It is involved in social memory.
(6) The insula is between the parietal lobe and temporal lobe. It is responsible for visceral and subjective feelings.
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Elizabeth Stannard Gromisch received her bachelor’s of science degree in neuroscience from Trinity College in Hartford, CT in May 2009. She is the Hartford Women's Health Examiner and she writes about abuse on Suite 101.

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