Stressed Out Sexes: Men Might be More Self-Centered

It might not come as much of a surprise, particularly to women. (Go ahead. Roll your eyes.) But men. The bread-winning, don't cry at "Titanic," feelings of steel individuals that many perceive themselves to be--well, they're more self-centered, particularly under pressure.

A recent study showed that when under significant amounts of stress, women are more likely to reach out for emotional support as well as offer that same response to others who might be in need. Men? Well, they're not as empathetic.

Researchers administered a stress test that involved 40 men and 40 women giving a speech and completing math problems in front of an audience. Afterwards, participants went through another series of tests that measured their ability to differentiate between their feelings and what other people wanted.  

Findings showed that women under stress performed tasks better than those in the control group. For men, the opposite was true.

These findings suggest that women actually become more understanding under stress than men. (As if we had any doubts?)

What do you think?

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Psychoneuroendrocrinology.