Today we talk with Gina Rippon about her book, The Gendered Brain. And we talk with DeWone Bennett about raising emotional intelligence.

The Gendered Brain

Gina Rippon is a researcher in the field of cognitive neuroscience at the Aston Brain Centre at Aston University, Birmingham. Gina is also a part of the European Union Gender Equality Network. Today we talk about her book, "The Gendered Brain: The New Neuroscience that Shatters the Myth of the Female Brain." For years, scientists believed that men and women's brains were vastly different, which created this inferiority between women and men. Now, the science and dialogue is changing. Science is showing that there is hardly much difference between men and women's brains.Gina's book covers some of the stigmas of the "female brain" as well as how our environment plays such a significant role in how we are wired. Babies are taught from the beginning what their gender role is. This means, certain toys, colors, and behaviors are only appropriate for either boys or girls. So really, the way we identify our gender roles comes more from nurture rather than nature. The Gendered Brain shows just how alike men and women are, but environmental factors and social norms have simply come between.

Raising Emotional Intelligence

DeWone Bennett is a licensed professional counselor and counseling supervisor with more than 10 years of experience. DeWone joins us to talk about how important it is to build emotional intelligence. A lot of times we can harp on the importance of book smarts and IQ. But, emotional intelligence is showing to be just as important, if not more. The ability to sympathize, relate, and acknowledge others emotions and act off of them requires practice and teaching.Children start to learn at an early age that if their parent has had a bad day or is in a bad mood, it's probably not the best time to ask for something. This is emotional intelligence. This expands into their schooling, their love lives, and their career. If you are in a leadership position, it is extra important to know how to connect and appreciate your employees. Your emotional intelligence goes beyond controlling your own emotions, it goes into handling others as well.