Why men are ‘better’ at reading maps – 02/02/2024 – Science

In a recent episode of the American TV show Saturday Night Live, Colin Jost — one of the hosts of the Weekend Update show — joked that, according to a new study, men read maps better than women.

In fact, researchers have found that there is a real difference in map reading between men and women, but not for the reasons people typically think.

The new research was published in the scientific journal Royal Society of Open Science. She found no genetic advantage that would lead one sex to have a better sense of direction than the other.

But the researchers indicate that the cause of the disparity discussed in the humorous program may not be linked to nature, but to training.

“This is where misogyny comes in,” the study’s author, Professor Justin Rhodes, from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in the United States, told the BBC.

“We took this tiny difference in which men appear to have an advantage and we have hundreds of studies and people arguing that it is something biological,” he says. “I think this has cultural implications.”

In their analysis, Rhodes and his colleagues highlight the flaws regarding “male superiority” theories in spatial orientation and wayfinding. The team argues that it is practice that leads to improvement.

The scientists built on previous research and included 66 studies in their analysis. The data covers 21 species, including humans.

Animal species range from the eastern dwarf otter and the leaf frog (Allobates femoralis) to the crustacean Faxonius rusticus (a species of lobster that lives in the United States) and the tuco-de-talas, a rodent common on the coast of Argentina.

Scientists compiled spatial navigation data for each species and the size of its home range, where the species generally lives and moves.

They concluded that, in all species, males have a better sense of direction than females or there is no difference between the sexes, with one exception: female chimpanzees can find their way better than males.

When looking at human studies, researchers only included data from subsistence, or forager, cultures. But this phenomenon had previously been observed in Western industrialized populations.

In populations where males are more dedicated to hunting and gathering than females, they have been shown to have better spatial orientation. But there was no difference between the sexes in populations where males and females travel and gather equally.

An example is the Hadza people of northern Tanzania. Their culture is made up of two different populations. In one of them, men are the main hunters and gatherers and, in the other, men and women practice these activities equally.

The comparison between the two Hadza groups was revealing, according to the study’s author.

“When the experiences were different,” explains Justin Rhodes, “you saw the difference in performance. It’s basically learning. When we do certain things, we figure out the technique and get better at it.”

Other factors also affect our localization ability, such as language.

Rhodes and his colleagues suggest the issue is neuroplasticity. Our brain restructures itself based on our experience of a concept or task, generating new synapses.

Rhodes offers examples of localization when we walk or engage in other spatial tasks, such as playing with children’s building blocks. The more you dedicate yourself, the better you will do in these activities.

“Men are simply more encouraged to do these activities because of our culture, and so they do a little better at them,” explains Rhodes. “All the data suggests this is the reason.”

The researcher also notes that with GPS apps on our cell phones, people in Western culture rarely read maps nowadays. Therefore, he states that the difference in map reading between the sexes will probably decrease.

But researchers wondered whether men might have gained an evolutionary advantage over time.

In cultures where men have historically been the hunters and gatherers and traveled more than women, have they passed these skills on to their male children over the generations?

Rhodes explains that this possibility “is flawed on two counts.”

“First, the data doesn’t support it. Second, it doesn’t really make sense.”

If this scenario were true, the data would demonstrate that, in species where males move more than females, they would have better capabilities and vice versa.

“We examined this in several species and concluded that there is no relationship,” he said.

Furthermore, if this evolutionary theory were correct, females would also gain the same evolutionary advantage.

“Basically, when you select one sex, the other also receives this selection as a side effect, even though they may not need it for anything,” explains the study author.

For example: men have nipples, which have no function, but also do not cause harm.

The professor states that, for the theory of evolutionary advantage to make sense, researchers need to explain why spatial orientation techniques are harmful to females — otherwise, they would also inherit them.

On Saturday Night Live, Jost said the new study “suggests that men are better than women at using maps.”

He added: “Whereas women are better at remaining silent for the rest of the trip after you say that to them.”

“When you start to think about it, the argument is just nonsense,” says Rhodes.

For him, the attention received by the study distorted the findings. “That was so far removed from the study, it’s unbelievable.”

The researcher also indicates that some people may not be satisfied with his conclusions.

“People have dedicated their careers to defending this biological difference.”

Therefore, Rhodes will not be surprised if new research makes this argument appear.

“For my part, I’m very confident that this is not a biologically or evolutionarily significant difference,” he explains.

According to Rhodes, girls who hunt and build more than boys will do better in these activities.

“It’s time to define that this has nothing to do with biology in human beings. Yes, there may be a difference in our Western culture. And, if you want to solve this, change that culture”, concludes the professor.

_{Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Future website.}