London - Ever suspected that the opposite sex comes from another planet? It seems they might as well.
Men and women really are different, according to a study - and while the differences between them may not come as a shock, the scale of them might.
Researchers found that the average man and woman share only 10 percent of their personality traits. Psychologically, they concluded, the sexes may as well come from different worlds - along the lines of the bestselling book Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.
However, when it comes to the remaining 90 percent of each group’s characteristics, the results may be considered a little more predictable.
The fairer sex, for example, tend to display higher levels of sensitivity and warmth, while men are generally more emotionally stable and dominant.
Psychologists at Manchester University and in Italy analysed the results of personality tests which were given to 10,000 people and measured 15 traits.
In keeping with age-old stereotypes, women scored more highly on sensitivity, warmth and feelings of apprehension, while men fared better on emotional stability, dominance and rule consciousness, or sense of duty.
The researchers concluded that there were “extremely large” personality differences between the sexes which could have implications in the workplace.
Co-author Dr Paul Irwing, of Manchester University’s Psychometrics at Work Research Group, said: “It was a really surprising finding.
“The conventional view, and my own view, was that there would have been much greater overlap, but actually there is an extremely large difference. It sounds highly stereotypical, but you find a huge proportion of women in the caring and socially related professions such as teaching and nursing and administration.
“People self-select professions in which they will feel happy and satisfied and that is no bad thing.”
In the study, published today in journal PLoS One, the researchers conclude that it is “difficult to overstate theoretical and practical importance” of their findings.
But Dr Irwing stressed that there are still “massive individual differences” between men and women, partly due to personal variations in hormone levels.
And Janet Hyde, Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, argued that other studies based on millions of people showed men and women are “very similar on most psychological variables”. - Daily Mail