Male vs Female; Not so Different?

A recent study finds no anatomical difference between male and female brains. One implication of that is that most of the behavioral differences we observe between genders is cultural, and not somehow "hard wired" into our brains.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28582-scans-prove-theres-no-such-thing-as-a-ma le-or-female-brain/

So what implications does that basic scientific finding have for the traditional couple? Is it really normal for the man to be masterful, all-knowing and (naturally) dominant whilst the woman is silly, undependable and constantly in need of discipline?

And what implications for the future of spanko fiction? Will M/F gradually lose its dominance?

(FWIW: My view of domestic discipline has always left room for a 2-way arrangement. That view hasn't been based on science or biology, but simply on my own notions of mutual fairness.)

The article seems to gloss over a point that the author him or herself chose to bring up: hormonal influences on the brain. If the expressed differences in behaviors were hormonal, you would not EXPECT to see a difference in structure (which is what a scan does).

Anatomically, human bodies are pretty much the same in most non-sexual areas, but that does not stop differences in how those bodies behave depending on what goes into them. Take this example: Take two male twins, give one a bottle of iced tea and the other a bottle of scotch to drink. Observe differences in their behavior, and then analyze the structures of their brains. The brains would 'look' identical, but behave differently due to the chemical influences on them. Would not differing levels of estrogen or testosterone have some sort of similar effect? All without affecting structure one bit?

I would not alter my thinking based on one study or even a couple of studies. There are always problem with who the subjects are the studies are, with methodology etc. Not every study can be reproduced. I would change my opinion based on at least more than ten studies going back for at least five years or so.

I'm sorry, but who exactly are you trying to confront with these questions?


Does *anyone* in the modern west, outside of extremely conservative or reactionary circles who don't believe in science anyway, still think that way? What conventional wisdom do you think is being challenged here?


With this bit, are you insinuating that people base their fetishes on the state of neuroscience? It doesn't work that way. You KNOW that it doesn't work that way. Why are you pretending to not know that?

I read the OP post several times to try and understand the intention behind the questions.

It did make me wonder why I enjoy spanking stories of dominant men and dominated women when it is so far removed from my reality and seems such an outdated cliche . In Jungian psychology there are archetypes and in spanking fiction there are stereotypes. However, it is a lazy writer who keeps ploughing the same furrow and some of the best stories are where a cliché may be the starting point but it is given such a twist as to become unrecognisable. Of course, I also enjoy stories where women dominate and those where it is a f/f or m/m. So, dominant men are actually irrelevant, and it is the power exchange that fascinates me, (as well as visualising the spankings).

I am pretty certain that my need to read spanking stories has little to do with neuroscience although I have often trotted out another cliché that my brain is hard wired for spanking because it has been there from such an early age. Nature v nurture arguments are difficult to research so I will just hope that advances in neuroscience will support further advances in equality and diversity whilst spanking stories will evolve for those writers who enjoy giving their characters a modern context as society changes.

One comment I read about the study design was:
It is like crushing an Iphone in bits, melting out the copper and then try to reconstruct the content of the calls by measuring the ore grade.

Actually yes! And some folks I know will even openly admit it. Male-dominant marriage is still taught from the pulpit.

Still, it's amazing how quickly social attitudes and assumptions can change and little is really known about what changes them. Not to divert the thread, but here are two (I suppose) unrelated examples:

1) In my lifetime I have seen parental spanking virtually disappear. As far as I know, this was a nearly ubiquitous practice going back as far as modern family life, yet it withered away in a few decades.

2) To my amazement, I have witnessed the growing legality and acceptance of gay marriage. Who could have predicted?

I have always thought any thought patterns we have as an adult were formed in our childhood by what we see, and experience. If our mom is dominant in the family we tend to think that is the way things should be, but we see ourselves either in the 'mom' dominant role or the submissive role. Does not matter whether we are male or female, things are the same for both.

As newborns and babies we are subject to a lot and our brains take in a lot more than one could ever understand. It is that background in our lives that we grow with and understand life with. Yes we learn things and grow but the basics are still underpinning things and although bad things can be disavowed and never practiced, it does not mean they are not there.

The saying 'a chip off the old block' is sometimes heard referring to either sex of the child, and the saying is there for the reason it is true. We turn out like the examples set before us as very young children when we have no control over our own surroundings.

Some people have higher IQ's granted, but any child placed in a proper learning environment will likely turn out that way. Higher IQ's are not based on gender.

Will M/F spankings be overtaken? I doubt it because in most cases males today even as very young children are taught to be one way or the other, and most males are encourage to physically play fight with their fathers for example while females are encouraged to follow their mom's who rarely play fight.

In the end of it all, I say everyone is equal, but our background and opportunities as a young child will influence us throughout are lives. My wife for example is smarter then me in somethings and not in others. (Please never tell my wife I said that -- LOL).

M/F is the way of things and in most cultures the male is taught very young the image he wants to portray is to fight and be dominant. Whether it is right or wrong can be argued, but arguments do not change what happens in basic life throughout the world.

CS (who rarely understands anything)

Fair enough. I guess I'm somewhat blinded by my generation. Among millennials (outside of those reactionary circles I mentioned) saying anything like that out loud is going to get you some very funny looks.

To redress your questions, then:


I don't think that social norms have ever been based on the scientific consensus. Most people aren't scientifically literate enough to keep up with these kinds of discoveries, and I suspect most of them wouldn't care enough to reexamine their lifestyles and social assumptions even if they did. Society is not rational.


I think that spanko fiction will gradually become less M/F focused, but I don't think it will have much to do with breakthroughs in neuroscience. The current trends (at least in my country) are toward society becoming less patriarchal and people being more willing to explore and experiment with their sexuality. Both of those things, I suspect, will eventually lead to a more even distribution of spanko orientations.

M/m is the hottest thing ever. I wish more people wrote things with that pairing.