Your Brain in relationship... for reasons related both to nature and nurture, these tendencies appear robust worldwide. v Females get a dose of the tend-­‐and-­‐befriend hormone (oxytocin) when they are in conversation, so bonding through words is often very important to them. v Males, hit with more testosterone, will often want to “do” relationships, rather than talk them out. Males also, often, prefer to relate via “mediating objects”... tossing a ball, fixing a car, or playing cards. v Males are often more interested in facts and outcomes than the emotions of other team members. Females often want to establish rapport through emotional connection before moving to outcomes. Both methods are good for teams. v For biochemical reasons, probably dating back into our far past, females often enjoy eye contact, while males often feel threatened by it. For emotion-­‐laden conversations, it is often useful to be side-­‐by-­‐side and doing something.