From One Extreme to the Other: Negative Evaluation Anxiety and Disordered Eating As Candidates for the Extreme Female Brain

Overview

Journal Evol Psychol

Publisher Sage Publications

Specialties Biology
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2012 Sep 6

PMID 22947672

Citations 3

Authors

Jennifer A Bremser

Gordon G Gallup Jr

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Simon Baron-Cohen pioneered the idea that different brain types evolved to process information in gender specific ways. Here we expand this approach to looking at eating disorders as a byproduct of the extreme female brain. The incidence of eating disorders is higher among females, and recent findings show that hormones may play a role in eating disorders. We present new evidence from four studies that both an empathizing bias and hyper-mentalizing (as measures of the extreme female brain; EFB) are related to disordered eating and negative evaluation anxiety in women. We also advance the novel hypothesis that concerns about animal welfare (a unique expression of the EFB) may account for the relationship between vegetarianism and eating disorders.

Citing Articles

Associations between Schizotypal Facets and Symptoms of Disordered Eating in Women.

Swami V, Barron D, Furnham A Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(18).

PMID: 36141444 PMC: 9517632. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811157.

Cognitive Empathy as Imagination: Evidence From Reading the Mind in the Eyes in Autism and Schizotypy.

Nahal P, Hurd P, Read S, Crespi B Front Psychiatry. 2021; 12:665721.

PMID: 33868063 PMC: 8047060. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.665721.

Autism and psychosis as diametrical disorders of embodiment.

Crespi B, Dinsdale N Evol Med Public Health. 2019; 2019(1):121-138.

PMID: 31402979 PMC: 6682708. DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoz021.

References

Jones L, Harmer C, Cowen P, Cooper M . Emotional face processing in women with high and low levels of eating disorder related symptoms. Eat Behav. 2008; 9(4):389-97. DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2008.03.001. View

Gallup Jr G . Self-awareness and the evolution of social intelligence. Behav Processes. 2014; 42(2-3):239-47. DOI: 10.1016/s0376-6357(97)00079-x. View

Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S . The empathy quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high functioning autism, and normal sex differences. J Autism Dev Disord. 2004; 34(2):163-75. DOI: 10.1023/b:jadd.0000022607.19833.00. View

Sodersten P, Bergh C, Zandian M . Understanding eating disorders. Horm Behav. 2006; 50(4):572-8. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.06.030. View

Culbert K, Marc Breedlove S, Burt S, Klump K . Prenatal hormone exposure and risk for eating disorders: a comparison of opposite-sex and same-sex twins. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008; 65(3):329-36. PMC: 2883912. DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2007.47. View

Peters M, Laeng B, Latham K, Jackson M, Zaiyouna R, Richardson C . A redrawn Vandenberg and Kuse mental rotations test: different versions and factors that affect performance. Brain Cogn. 1995; 28(1):39-58. DOI: 10.1006/brcg.1995.1032. View

Knickmeyer R, Baron-Cohen S, Fane B, Wheelwright S, Mathews G, Conway G . Androgens and autistic traits: A study of individuals with congenital adrenal hyperplasia. Horm Behav. 2006; 50(1):148-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2006.02.006. View

Jansch C, Harmer C, Cooper M . Emotional processing in women with anorexia nervosa and in healthy volunteers. Eat Behav. 2009; 10(3):184-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2009.06.001. View

Zehr J, Culbert K, Sisk C, Klump K . An association of early puberty with disordered eating and anxiety in a population of undergraduate women and men. Horm Behav. 2007; 52(4):427-35. PMC: 2080669. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.06.005. View

10.

Eckel L . Estradiol: a rhythmic, inhibitory, indirect control of meal size. Physiol Behav. 2004; 82(1):35-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.04.023. View

11.

Ingudomnukul E, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Knickmeyer R . Elevated rates of testosterone-related disorders in women with autism spectrum conditions. Horm Behav. 2007; 51(5):597-604. DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2007.02.001. View

12.

Quinton S, Smith A, Joiner T . The 2 to 4 digit ratio (2D:4D) and eating disorder diagnosis in women. Pers Individ Dif. 2011; 51(4):402-405. PMC: 3134962. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2010.07.024. View

13.

Baron-Cohen S, Richler J, Bisarya D, Gurunathan N, Wheelwright S . The systemizing quotient: an investigation of adults with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism, and normal sex differences. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2003; 358(1430):361-74. PMC: 1693117. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2002.1206. View

14.

Sullivan P . Mortality in anorexia nervosa. Am J Psychiatry. 1995; 152(7):1073-4. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.152.7.1073. View

15.

Koslowsky M, Scheinberg Z, Bleich A, Mark M, Apter A, Danon Y . The factor structure and criterion validity of the short form of the Eating Attitudes Test. J Pers Assess. 1992; 58(1):27-35. DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa5801_3. View

16.

Baron-Cohen S . The extreme male brain theory of autism. Trends Cogn Sci. 2002; 6(6):248-254. DOI: 10.1016/s1364-6613(02)01904-6. View

17.

Turner S, McCanna M, Beidel D . Validity of the Social Avoidance and Distress and Fear of Negative Evaluation scales. Behav Res Ther. 1987; 25(2):113-5. DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(87)90081-7. View

18.

WATSON D, Friend R . Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1969; 33(4):448-57. DOI: 10.1037/h0027806. View

19.

Manning J, Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S, Sanders G . The 2nd to 4th digit ratio and autism. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2001; 43(3):160-4. View

20.

Carter P, Moss R . Screening for anorexia and bulimia nervosa in a college population: problems and limitations. Addict Behav. 1984; 9(4):417-9. DOI: 10.1016/0306-4603(84)90045-5. View