2008 Woodie Awards
Miscommunication 101: Compromises between men and women
Christopher Christensen
Issue date: 10/17/06 Section: Opinion
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Ever wonder why men and women, although speaking the same language, never really seem to be talking about the same thing? Why do men listen to women but don't seem to hear what they say?
While I could go into the scientific reasoning about different hemispherical cortexes of the brain and how men have an easier time remembering statistics such as Deion Sanders stealing 26 bases in 1992; that misses the point since when women communicate, their brains interact with areas commonly associated with emotional responses. Such as "I felt extremely sad and betrayed when, during sophomore year, I found out Zack offered Kim popcorn and didn't offer me any."
I'm not using cerebral anatomy as an excuse as to why I'm not paying attention. But ladies, you must realize that my fellow men and I want to listen to the emotional state that you were in when you were deciding on lipstick just as much as you want us to describe how the Friday night Texas Hold'em game went verbatim.
While facial products are important, we think you are just as sexy waking up in the morning in one of our t-shirts, and going into elaborate discussions as to why Morange is a better color for bringing out your eyes than Bronanza, just doesn't appeal to most men as an interesting topic of discussion.
We as men, almost more than anything, enjoy pleasing women. So when you are speaking, we really are listening (at least in the beginning).
What you need to remember, however, is that as soon as you bring emotions into the picture and start referring to experiences where you relate similar psychological states, that's when our minds start to drift to pigskin and episodes of "Family Guy."
So ladies, today I'm giving you the guide on how to keep guys listening.
First off, although we have all the same emotions you do, we just don't use them except in rare circumstances (like when our team wins the Super Bowl).
To keep us engaged, keep the emotions basic; anger, excitement, fatigue, and desire. Second, stick to the facts: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
While I could go into the scientific reasoning about different hemispherical cortexes of the brain and how men have an easier time remembering statistics such as Deion Sanders stealing 26 bases in 1992; that misses the point since when women communicate, their brains interact with areas commonly associated with emotional responses. Such as "I felt extremely sad and betrayed when, during sophomore year, I found out Zack offered Kim popcorn and didn't offer me any."
I'm not using cerebral anatomy as an excuse as to why I'm not paying attention. But ladies, you must realize that my fellow men and I want to listen to the emotional state that you were in when you were deciding on lipstick just as much as you want us to describe how the Friday night Texas Hold'em game went verbatim.
While facial products are important, we think you are just as sexy waking up in the morning in one of our t-shirts, and going into elaborate discussions as to why Morange is a better color for bringing out your eyes than Bronanza, just doesn't appeal to most men as an interesting topic of discussion.
We as men, almost more than anything, enjoy pleasing women. So when you are speaking, we really are listening (at least in the beginning).
What you need to remember, however, is that as soon as you bring emotions into the picture and start referring to experiences where you relate similar psychological states, that's when our minds start to drift to pigskin and episodes of "Family Guy."
So ladies, today I'm giving you the guide on how to keep guys listening.
First off, although we have all the same emotions you do, we just don't use them except in rare circumstances (like when our team wins the Super Bowl).
To keep us engaged, keep the emotions basic; anger, excitement, fatigue, and desire. Second, stick to the facts: who, what, when, where, why, and how.
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