In Addition
There's an important point I forgot to add to my previous post on empathy.
I believe success, particularly in tasks that involve creativity and boldness, is mostly a function of irrational compulsion. Talent and intelligence is highly over-rated in these areas. Successful creative people most likely got there based on how much irrational drive they had to improve their work and skills or how irrationality captivated they are with it.
This, for me, is a very large explanation of that gap between men and women in these areas (besides patriarchy.) Men have a very strong irrational drive to succeed in these areas as a display to to get laid. Where women are largely valued for their beauty/fertility and irrational compulsed to improve it, men are largely valued for their ability to contribute to the tribe across cultures and countries. Men's brains are hard-wired to seek displaying skill at say playing a guitar or shooting a basketball in ways women aren't, because their chances of finding a better mate are disproportionate.
I think this is also why men tend to do their best creative work when they're young and unmarried. Einstein did his best work in his twenties, bands have two very good albums and fade away, writers have one or two big books and then stagnate. I think it's because they're getting consistently laid. Some part of their brain catches on that they have sufficient success to attract mates and stops pumping out the same levels of irrational compulsion to obsess over improving and succeeding.
I've seen it often personally. My friends get involved in serious relationships have the quality of their work decline. Guys who used to write and come up with ideas rapidly become passive and complacent. Part of it is sometimes happiness, distraction, different priorities and other factors, but I believe there's a distinct difference here when it comes to motivation. Your mammalian brain figures out you're in raising children mode and shuts off the creative compulsions.
Bill Gates wouldn't be where he was if he was sleeping with cheerleaders in high school. Probably few forces have contributed as much to civilization as much as male's irrational impulse to display fitness through skill and success to get laid.
I believe success, particularly in tasks that involve creativity and boldness, is mostly a function of irrational compulsion. Talent and intelligence is highly over-rated in these areas. Successful creative people most likely got there based on how much irrational drive they had to improve their work and skills or how irrationality captivated they are with it.
This, for me, is a very large explanation of that gap between men and women in these areas (besides patriarchy.) Men have a very strong irrational drive to succeed in these areas as a display to to get laid. Where women are largely valued for their beauty/fertility and irrational compulsed to improve it, men are largely valued for their ability to contribute to the tribe across cultures and countries. Men's brains are hard-wired to seek displaying skill at say playing a guitar or shooting a basketball in ways women aren't, because their chances of finding a better mate are disproportionate.
I think this is also why men tend to do their best creative work when they're young and unmarried. Einstein did his best work in his twenties, bands have two very good albums and fade away, writers have one or two big books and then stagnate. I think it's because they're getting consistently laid. Some part of their brain catches on that they have sufficient success to attract mates and stops pumping out the same levels of irrational compulsion to obsess over improving and succeeding.
I've seen it often personally. My friends get involved in serious relationships have the quality of their work decline. Guys who used to write and come up with ideas rapidly become passive and complacent. Part of it is sometimes happiness, distraction, different priorities and other factors, but I believe there's a distinct difference here when it comes to motivation. Your mammalian brain figures out you're in raising children mode and shuts off the creative compulsions.
Bill Gates wouldn't be where he was if he was sleeping with cheerleaders in high school. Probably few forces have contributed as much to civilization as much as male's irrational impulse to display fitness through skill and success to get laid.