A husband and wife don't always see eye-to-eye. Sometimes this is simply because they have differing preferences, but often it is because they are wired with differing thinking patterns. Researchers now report how brain structure differences between men and women appear to relate to vision differences.

The study results appeared in two papers in the online journal Biology of Sex Differences.¹ Lead author Israel Abramov said, "As with other senses, such as hearing and the olfactory system, there are marked sex differences in vision between men and women."²

For example, the study confirmed that women are better at distinguishing colors than men. But men, who have 25 percent more neurons in the visual cortex, have more sensitivity to fine detail and rapidly moving images. Also, the two sexes recognized the same hue, but at slightly different wavelengths.

Who has not suffered an argument with the opposite gender that sounds like, "No, that's not green—that's more like turquoise"? This research shows that what looks green to one gender may not appear identical to the other. Unless the two agree to validate the other's perception, the argument over color might persist indefinitely!

Why are men and women different in the way they perceive the world and process and communicate information? Could nature have selected these trait differences? If so, how would these differences contribute to survival? Abramov apparently has no answers to these questions. "The evolutionary driving force between these differences is less clear," he said.2

It is "less clear" because evolution is not remotely responsible for crafting males and females, whose similarities and differences were purposely built by God.³ Jesus acknowledged His creativity when He admonished a group of religious leaders, saying, "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female."⁴

When it comes to the science of the sexes, the Bible has the answer.

References

1. Abramov, I. et al. 2012. Sex & vision I: Spatio-temporal resolution. Biology of Sex Differences. 3: 20. Abramov, I. et al. 2012. Sex and vision II: Color appearance of monochromatic lights. Biology of Sex Differences. 3: 21.
2. The eyes have it: men do see things differently to women. BioMed Central news release. Posted on AlphaGalileo.org August 31, 2012.
3. A primary purpose of marriage is for it to reflect the relationship between Christ and His Church: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it. That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself" (Ephesians 5:22-28).
4. Mark 10:6.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.