Most of Us
Combine
Personality Traits
from Different
Genders
New research underscores that almost everyone’s
personality blends “more often seen in men”
and “more often seen in women” characteristicsH
ow different are men and women really?
About 30 years ago, if dating guides are any
indication, some people assumed vast differences
in personality, with Men Are from Mars, Women
Are from Venus relationship advice. Today, in con-
trast, certain communities are pushing back
against the idea of binary gender, which presents
men and women as separate categories. (A quick
reminder: gender—described in terms such as
“man,” “woman” and “nonbinary person”—has
strong cultural and social components, whereas
sex—sometimes described with adjectives such
as “male,” “female” and “intersex”—refers to a
combination of biological features.) bashta/Getty ImagesSpencer Greenberg is a mathematician and founder
of ClearerThinking.org.
Holly Muir is a researcher at ClearerThinking.org
who specializes in developing interventions for critical thinking.OPINION