Which Sex Scares More Easily?

Are women more timid than men? Are they more timorous when faced with stress and danger? Are they more sensitive to horrific images and more likely to fear terror attacks?

Those who believe that gender is a social construct will find little comfort in the new studies. They suggest that, when faced with the threat of terror attacks by ISIS, women feel more anxiety. They have a higher anxiety quotient, a higher AQ, if you like.

The Daily Mail reports on the research:

Women, known to be more anxious, show greater signs of worry about its barbaric slaughters of nonbelievers of Islam, scientists say.

While men tend to shrug off the threat of potential massacres in their everyday life because of their different coping mechanism. 

How significant is the difference in the male and female AQ. Quite significant:

Women are twice as likely to suffer from severe stress and anxiety as men, according to a major study published last June. 

Cambridge University researchers said it could be down to differences in brain chemistry and hormone fluctuations.

In a piece for The Conversation, lead author Olivia Remes said women and men react to life events in different ways.

While 'women tend to be more prone to stress, which can increase their anxiety', she added.

Apparently, it’s all in a part of the brain called the insulae. As previously reported on this blog, from a study out of Stanford University:

They discovered that when boys and girls are exposed to stress the girls’ insulae shrink while the boys’ insulae grow.

And also:

Girls react differently to stress because it changes parts of their brain, new research suggests.

Traumatic situations cause the section of their brain responsible for feelings and actions - known as the insula - to shrink.

Whereas stress has the opposite effect on boys, causing theirs to grow.

Draw the conclusions that you like. The biological difference between male and female brains seems clearly established… for those who accept science. And especially, for those who accept science when it contradicts their dogmatically-held beliefs.