If stereotypes are to be believed, women are supposedly selfless goddesses and men have a more self-centered approach towards life. And according to a new study, it is possible that this supposed stereotype is absolutely true.

According to a research conducted by the University of Zurich, Men’s brains reward selfish behavior and women’s brains reward them for being generous.

As part of the study, experiments were carried out on a group of 56 men and women. They were tested in the areas of the brain which activate when selfless or prosocial decisions are made as compared to when selfish decisions are taken.

The research studied the brain’s reward center — the striatum — which administers dopamine for ‘good’ behavior. They found that in women the striatum responds more strongly than men when prosocial decisions were made. In men, however, the striatum responded more favorably when they behaved selfishly. Essentially men were rewarded for acting selfishly and women’s brains applauded them when they were kinder.

In another experiment, scientists neutralized the striatum with dopamine inhibiting medication. When this was done, women began behaving more selfishly and men in a more generous manner.

One of the scientists, Alexander Soutschek stated in a press release, “These results demonstrate that the brains of women and men also process generosity differently at the pharmacological level. Future studies need to take into account gender differences more seriously”.

While the differences were apparent, the scientists also stated that it could also do with upbringing and social conditioning. These behavioral differences may be culturally ingrained as children and intensified as adults.

Soutschek says,“The reward and learning systems in our brains work in close cooperation. Empirical studies show that girls are rewarded with praise for prosocial behavior, implying that their reward systems learn to expect a reward for helping behavior instead of selfish behavior. With this in mind, the gender differences that we observed in our studies could best be attributed to the different cultural expectations placed on men and women.”

Source: Conciuosreminder; Media; Pixabay