The androgynous brain is advantageous for mental health and well-being

Brain sex differences: the androgynous brain is advantageous for mental health and well-being. Qiang Luo & Barbara J. Sahakian. Neuropsychopharmacology, Aug 16 2021. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-021-01141-z

Abstract: Studies of personality and sex differences have reported that male’s and female’s basic personality traits appear to differ on average, in several respects [1]. From a psychological perspective, these sex differences are thought to result from perceived gender roles, gender socialisation and socio-structural power differentials, although the evolutionary theory has also been used to explain these differences [1]. However, psychological studies have already suggested that people can be androgynous, having mixed personality traits that are stereotypically considered to be male or female [2]. Furthermore, most of us are in fact probably somewhere on a spectrum between what we stereotypically consider a male or a female [2].

Check also Does gender role explain a high risk of depression? A meta-analytic review of 40 years of evidence. Jingyuan Lin et al. Journal of Affective Disorders, Volume 294, Nov 1 2021, Pages 261-278. Androgynous individuals are less likely to suffer depression while undifferentiated individuals are more susceptible to depression; masculinity traits seem to be a robust protective factor for depression regardless of gender