Does a woman’s ability to filter out information break down faster than a man’s?
A | No, not at all. Women do have a menopausal issue, and certain aspects of their changing hormone profile can amplify some of the natural effects of aging on the brain. But on the whole, the gender differences in this area are not big. More important, I think, is the fact that women assume responsibility for crucial threads in the social fabric that guys don’t. As a result, women are required to be more reliable. I’m often asked, “Can women multitask?” And the answer is no. Neither can men. The brain cannot multitask. But women often handle a variety of separate tasks during the day: They go to work, pick up the kids and still do most of the housework. It’s difficult enough to juggle all those demands when your brain is young, but as you get older, your brain becomes more easily confused by the scope of your to do list. You may, for instance, forget to pick up milk—or your kids!—on your way home from work. Q | You also write that under chronic stress, excessive amounts of cortisol ca
