Understanding How Men Think

Possessing bearing on someone's thought process gives you insight to how he is. Men are strange, intriguing beings and understanding how they think in general would help to bridge gaps of misunderstanding. If we could, we would use alien like abilities to read minds, but until that time, there are many ways to understand how men think without telepathy.

Instructions

1. Spend a day in their shoes. Although you may be the opposite sex, it doesn't mean that men are not human first. Switching emotional places once in a while will give you insight to their emotions and their thought processes. You may also find that relating to men will help resolve conflict before it is encountered if you are being honest with yourself and the situation.

2. Talk with men using the direct approach. Studies show that men predominantly use the left sides of their brains, the analytical, objective side. Most men would rather resolve conflict using the direct approach due to the way their brains operate. Often times men want to get to the root of problems but are not willing to wade through the excess verbiage that may accompany most situations. Putting conversations in "plain" dialogue will help them relate and get straight to the point without riddle-like metaphors.

3. Understand communication is not a majority strong suit. Men have a difficult time expressing their feelings because they operate from the majority left hemisphere of the brain. Women have more receptors to transfer data between the left and right hemispheres of their brains, making them able to communicate on a broader spectrum. Although men have 4 percent more brain cells than women, men apply the majority of this usage in the left side of the brain where language association is also dominant. Women process language in both hemispheres and, being that men only process language in the majority left side of the brain, often there is a disconnect between emotion (right side) and communication.

4. Forget forcing men to commit. The majority of the human race does not like to be pressured or forced into anything. For men, commitment is a big step that sometimes seems to go against their instincts of broad procreation. Women often see this as an excuse for men to object to monogamy, but the truth is men just want to do things at their own pace as most people do. There have also been studies that show some men actually have a gene variation that make them more or less likely to be monogamous.

5. Praise men to prevent them from cheating. Since men are less likely to ask for what they need emotionally, this can often lead to gaps in a relationship that can cause cheating. Just as women do, men need emotional support to feel needed and appreciated. A study has shown that men who were in healthy marriages often didn't have to ask for their wives to show appreciation. Men who did have affairs in this study said that looks or the need for sex was the least of their reasons for cheating and more than not cited that the lack of emotional support was the biggest reason for their affairs. This study also showed that the reason a man often finds an affair partner at work is because the other woman at work often praises him and has positive interaction with him on a regular basis.

Tips & Warnings

• Every man is different and understanding a single man will require a deeper prodding of his personality.

• Since men are more likely introverted with their feelings, this makes them more volatile at times, having an "exploding" effect when they become overly angry if they do not communicate on a regular basis. Avoid situations like this by remembering the golden rule of treating others like you would want to be treated.

Resources

• Male and female brain differences
• Study that showed why men cheat