Why your brain sees men as people and women as body parts

Chicago Tribune:

The sexual objectification of women isn’t just in your head—it’s in everyone’s. A new study finds that our brains see men as people and women as body parts.

The research, published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, suggests that we process images of men and women differently in the brain. “Global” cognitive processing, which is the brain’s method of interpreting an image in its entirety, is more often employed when viewing men. However, “local” cognitive processing, or seeing the parts that make up the whole, is the brain’s apparent default method for women.

Researchers say this may explain why women are often the subjects of sexual objectification, which many believe puts them at risk for increased anxiety and mental health issues.

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