In my neuro class, we were going through the neuroanatomical differences between men and women, and as I discovered, the brains of gay men were almost identical to those of women. Namely, their spacial intelligence was lower and their emotional intelligence, empathy and was higher than that of straight men. Every detail, from the symettricality of the brains to the direction of synaptic connection was the same.
And looking at the brain itself, I theorietically am able to correlate the use of certain functions with certain brain structures, like a more developed amygdala being linked to greater Fe usage, and to a lesser extent, Fi, or more development in the left hemisphere being linked to greater levels of Te and to a lesser extent, Ti.
That made me wonder: if MBTI has a neurological basis, would that mean that the MBTI type of gay men would be more parallel to that of women statistically? Obviously there is a massive difference between the distribution of personalities on pers.c and the general public, but I'm curious to see any trends on a small scale.
I'm not sure I believe this. It's based on the assumption that gay guys are all more effeminate... I mean, yeah, there is some correlation there but it's not causation. There are thinker gay guys out there, that's for sure. There are even camp thinker gay guys out there and non-camp gays.
I'm not sure I believe this. It's based on the assumption that gay guys are all more effeminate... I mean, yeah, there is some correlation there but it's not causation. There are thinker gay guys out there, that's for sure. There are even camp thinker gay guys out there and non-camp gays.
I don't think that gay men are intrinsically more effeminate- the way that gender works in the mind is on a continuum, but dozens of studies do show that gay men have nearly identical minds as heterosexual women. As for bi men and women and lesbians, they haven't been studied very much, so we don't know.
I don't think that gay men are intrinsically more effeminate- the way that gender works in the mind is on a continuum, but dozens of studies do show that gay men have nearly identical minds as heterosexual women. As for bi men and women and lesbians, they haven't been studied very much, so we don't know.
They have also done studies to prove that people's personalities are the same regardless of gender, so if those studies are true then of course gay men and women will look the same. There had to be context showing that gay men are for some reason not the same as other men... And I'm not comfortable with any study starting with a bias of trying to prove that gay men aren't like most 'men' just because of their sexuality.
Also if most gay men are feelers then where does the stereotypical gay sass come from? Thinking functions, probably. ;p
I think that usually, gay men are more effeminate, not all but there is a pattern.
Nothing bad about that, so why are people so careful with those things ?
That's because we notice more effeminate gay men. They stick out more and correspond to the stereotypical image we have of them. Chances are, in everyday life you cross paths and interact with a gay guy and you had no idea.
So here are the things that lead me to wonder this. Evidence to the things I've stated, in other words. I'm not basing this on stereotypes, I'm basing it on what we understand about the brain. I am not claiming the link between any of these things to be evidence towards anything greater, I am suggesting that it is worth examining.
Evidence that gay men have similar brain structures to women:
Ever since this study back in 1991, which revealed that the hypothalmus of gay men is similar in size to that of women, scientists have been fascinated in the link between brain structure, gender, sex, and sexual orientation. It is understood that the levels of testosterone prenatally determine the growth factor of many regions of the brain-- after a wash of testosterone in the womb, the brain of a fetus becomes noticeably different and sexually dimorphic between genders. Males have asymmetrical brains, with larger left hemispheres, as opposed to the symmetrical brain of women. Women have larger SCN's, which serve as both a circadian clock and a connection between the hemispheres. EEG's have shown women are able to engage both hemispheres at the same time with more ease than men due to this, whereas men are able to engage the entirety of a single hemisphere more easily than women can. Women have difference in other structures as well, such as the amygdala, which is vital for emotional memory and emotional processing,especially fear. Men and women process different emotions differently. Homosexual men share these structural differences.
tldr; Whether or not we want to admit it, brain impacts behavior and brain shapes impact behavior. The brain of men and women become sexually dimorphic in the womb thanks to the levels of testosterone present during the period of development, but not after. These differences in neuroanatomy are linked with differences in behavior. Homosexual men have nearly identical brains to heterosexual women. This argument is strong, supported by numerous studies by numerous people.
MBTI and neuroscience connections
We have less evidence here, due to a lack of research. The primary man, Dr Dario Nardi, who has been testing the connection between the brain and mbti is none other than the man who created the very popular Keys 2 Cognition test. This is a summary of his early work, and most of his findings have been published in the forms of academic papers and books, namely his most popular book, Neuroscience of Personality. He has done work not only with examining MBTI in terms of cognitive stacks, but as a dichotomy. Of course, having only one man study all of these features is incredibly limiting and rife with potential for bias. But I certainly believe that since we know that the brain and behavior are linked and MBTI can be used to categorize behavior, it is certainly worth looking into.
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