But What Will We Talk About?

Professor,

I've noticed something about my willingness to have weighty discussions with people. I am less and less often willing to extend the social energy it takes to do so. I have a small group of friends from different parts of my life who are open minded, thoughtful, and value our friendship more than their being right who are wonderful to delve deep with ,but it's a select group. Whereas I use to enjoy bantering and questioning at parties and casual gatherings I now seldom have the desire to do so. In most situations there simply isn't time to have a discussion of any depth or complexity and I generally feel a pointlessness about it.

It's also considered an attack by some just to ask them why they feel the way they do about something or what, specifically, they see that helped them form their opinion. Then while they are talking I'm thinking about the size of their amygdala, or whether or not they have a daughter, or any other number of things that affect our thinking, which we think, of course, we have so cleverly thought out.

Here's an article about a study done showing parents of girls more likely to be Republican.

 Turns out it is quite the feat to even think about ideas deeply and then wonder to yourself why you hold the opinions you do, take into account how pushed and pulled you are by a myriad of other factors, and actually doubt your thinking and conclusions with any measure of objectivity. Often the hinges of the mind have rusted shut and no amount of prying with facts can force them open.

Gear switching with Madame: Your comments about women who have "given up" and "their" men who stray left out something we see often, which is men cheating "down" (think Tiger Woods and others like him). Not every man is tempted by something better, but sometimes it seems, only something "else."
Comments?

And you've probably heard about the study just done about brain mapping the male and female brain and showing clear differences. Everyone likes to make fun of this kind of research (Men and women are different, who knew?) But in fact it's probably important, relationship wise, to know your partner isn't just doing things to annoy you or that your son or daughter isn't as influenced in gender related thinking by society as previously thought. It's also pretty interesting to see how the differences complement each other.

Here's an article about how differently the male/female brains are wired.

It'll be interesting to see how quickly conservatives claim this science to be important, while pooh- poohing other scientific information they disagree with.

But that is opening up a whole other can of anti-intellectual worms.

On a side note: happy (early) Prohibition Repeal Day!