5 Surprising Ways Men and Women Sense Things Differently

Learn how the five senses differ for men and women.

— -- Though it sounds like something you’d give some serious feminist side-eye, studies suggest that women really do seem to be the more “sensitive” gender. That is, they tend to taste, smell, hear, see colors, and feel textures more accurately than men—even though, in most cases, researchers aren’t sure exactly why, says Marcia Pelchat, PhD, a sensory scientist who studies taste and smell at the Monell Chemical Sciences Center in Philadelphia.

Some theories: Gender differences in the senses may have a biological basis, Pelchat says, but there may also be a societal and psychological component, as well. “Women are more likely to do the laundry, the cooking, the cleaning—they worry about whether a rag smells like mildew or if food’s gone bad,” she explains. “So they may actually have more experience with odors and flavors, and that may increase their sensitivity or their ability to process these things.”

Check out what the research says about the fascinating ways men and women differ in how we perceive the five senses.

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Sight

Men do seem to have one advantage when it comes to vision: Another study by the same researchers found that guys are better able to pick up on sudden movements and identify rapidly changing images—a trait that perhaps evolved from their traditional role as hunters.

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Touch

People with smaller fingers have a finer sense of touch (or tactile acuity), according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, giving women—who tend to be smaller overall—yet another advantage over men. Smaller digits have more closely spaced sensory receptors, so are therefore able to pick up on more varieties of outside stimulation, the authors concluded.

Hearing

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Smell

Scientists have long known that women tend to outperform men on tests for identifying scents, but only recently have they found a potential biological explanation. A study published in the November 2014 issue of PLoS ONEfound that post-mortem female brains had, on average, 43% more cells and almost 50% more neurons in their olfactory centers (the part dedicated to smelling and odors) than male brains.

The study’s authors can’t be sure that these extra cells are responsible for greater smelling ability, but they say it’s a good guess. From an evolutionary perspective an enhanced sense of smell may have helped women choose mates for reproductive purposes.

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Taste

Considering how closely smell and taste are related, it’s not surprising that women also tend to have more sensitive palates than men. In fact, research from Yale University has found that women actually have moretaste buds on their tongues. About 35% of women (and only 15% of men) can call themselves “supertasters,” which means they identify flavors such as bitter, sweet, and sour more strongly than others.

Also of note: Women of childbearing age taste flavors more intensely than younger or older females, and they may also notice increased sensitivity during pregnancy, Pelchat adds.

This article originally appeared on Health.com.