Does Evolution Explain Women's Advantages in Social Cognition?

Empirical studies have revealed sex differences in many cognitive domains, some favoring men and others favoring women. More often than not, the focus is on those domains, such as spatial abilities or mathematics, which favor men, on average. Those domains in which women excel often involve components of social cognition, such as aspects of language, and sensitivity to subtle change in facial expression. These sex differences will be reviewed and potential evolutionary and development mechanisms presented.