/articles/estheory last modified 135.960 days ago

Empathising-Systemising (E-S) Theory

The E-S Theory by Simon Baron-Cohen, a psychologist and director of the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge, is a method of assigning gender to human brains. He says:

Are there essential differences between the male and female brain? My theory is that the female brain is predominantly hard-wired for empathy, and that the male brain is predominantly hard-wired for understanding and building systems. I call it the empathising-systemising (E-S) theory.

Empathising is the drive to identify another person's emotions and thoughts, and to respond to these with an appropriate emotion. The empathiser intuitively figures out how people are feeling, and how to treat people with care and sensitivity. Systemising is the drive to analyse and explore a system, to extract underlying rules that govern the behaviour of a system; and the drive to construct systems. The systemiser intuitively figures out how things work, or what the underlying rules are controlling a system. Systems can be as varied as a pond, a vehicle, a computer, a maths equation, or even an army unit. They all operate on inputs and deliver outputs, using rules.

According to this theory, a person (whether male or female) has a particular "brain type". There are three common brain types: for some individuals, empathising is stronger than systemising. This is called the female brain, or a brain of type E. For other individuals, systemising is stronger than empathising. This is called the male brain, or a brain of type S. Yet other individuals are equally strong in their systemising and empathising. This is called the "balanced brain", or a brain of type B. There are now tests you can take to see which type (E, S, or B) you are. Not which type you'd like to be, but which you actually are.

Source: Guardian Unlimited

Below are the two tests used to measure Empathy and Systemizing Quotients. You can take one test at a time. All questions are required. Your responses will be scored and your mark will be explained to you.

Empathy Quotient (EQ) Test

Strongly AgreeSlightly AgreeSlightly DisagreeStrongly Disagree
1.I can easily tell if someone else wants to enter a conversation.
2.I prefer animals to humans.
3.I try to keep up with the current trends and fashions.
4.I find it difficult to explain to others things that I understand easily, when they don't understand it first time.
5.I dream most nights.
6.I really enjoy caring for other people.
7.I try to solve my own problems rather than discussing them with others.
8.I find it hard to know what to do in a social situation.
9.I am at my best first thing in the morning.
10.People often tell me that I went too far in driving my point home in a discussion.
11.It doesn't bother me too much if I am late meeting a friend.
12.Friendships and relationships are just too difficult, so I tend not to bother with them.
13.I would never break a law, no matter how minor.
14.I often find it difficult to judge if something is rude or polite.
15.In a conversation, I tend to focus on my own thoughts rather than on what my listener might be thinking.
16.I prefer practical jokes to verbal humour.
17.I live life for today rather than the future.
18.When I was a child, I enjoyed cutting up worms to see what would happen.
19.I can pick up quickly if someone says one thing but means another.
20.I tend to have very strong opinions about morality.
21.It is hard for me to see why some things upset people so much.
22.I find it easy to put myself in somebody else's shoes.
23.I think that good manners are the most important thing a parent can teach their child.
24.I like to do things on the spur of the moment.
25.I am good at predicting how someone will feel.
26.I am quick to spot when someone in a group is feeling awkward or uncomfortable.
27.If I say something that someone else is offended by, I think that that's their problem, not mine.
28.If anyone asked me if I liked their haircut, I would reply truthfully, even if I didn't like it.
29.I can't always see why someone should have felt offended by a remark.
30.People often tell me that I am very unpredictable.
31.I enjoy being the centre of attention at any social gathering.
32.Seeing people cry doesn't really upset me.
33.I enjoy having discussions about politics.
34.I am very blunt, which some people take to be rudeness, even though this is unintentional.
35.I don't tend to find social situations confusing.
36.Other people tell me I am good at understanding how they are feeling and what they are thinking.
37.When I talk to people, I tend to talk about their experiences rather than my own.
38.It upsets me to see an animal in pain.
39.I am able to make decisions without being influenced by people's feelings.
40.I can't relax until I have done everything I had planned to do that day.
41.I can easily tell if someone else is interested or bored with what I am saying.
42.I get upset if I see people suffering on news programmes.
43.Friends usually talk to me about their problems as they say that I am very understanding.
44.I can sense if I am intruding, even if the other person doesn't tell me.
45.I often start new hobbies but quickly become bored with them and move on to something else.
46.People sometimes tell me that I have gone too far with teasing.
47.I would be too nervous to go on a big roller coaster.
48.Other people often say that I am insensitive, though I don't always see why.
49.If I see a stranger in a group, I think that it is up to them to make an effort to join in.
50.I usually stay emotionally detached when watching a film.
51.I like to be very organized in day-to-day life and often make lists of the chores I have to do.
52.I can tune in to how someone else feels rapidly and intuitively.
53.I don't like to take risks.
54.I can easily work out what another person might want to talk about.
55.I can tell if someone is masking their true emotion.
56.Before making a decision I always weigh up the pros and cons.
57.I don't consciously work out the rules of social situations.
58.I am good at predicting what someone will do.
59.I tend to get emotionally involved with a friend's problems.
60.I can usually appreciate the other person's viewpoint, even if I don't agree with it.

Systemizing Quotient (SQ) Test

Strongly AgreeSlightly AgreeSlightly DisagreeStrongly Disagree
1.When I listen to a piece of music, I always notice the way it's structured.
2.I adhere to common superstitions.
3.I often make resolutions, but find it hard to stick to them.
4.I prefer to read non-fiction than fiction.
5.If I were buying a car, I would want to obtain specific information about the engine capacity.
6.When I look at a painting, I do not usually think about the technique involved in making it.
7.If there was a problem with the electrical wiring in my home, I'd be able to fix it myself.
8.When I have a dream, I find it difficult to remember precise details about the dream the next day.
9.When I watch a film, I prefer to be with a group of friends, rather than alone.
10.I am interested in learning about different religions.
11.I rarely read articles or Web pages about new technology.
12.I do not enjoy games that involve a high degree of strategy.
13.I am fascinated by how machines work.
14.I make a point of listening to the news each morning.
15.In maths, I am intrigued by the rules and patterns governing numbers.
16.I am bad about keeping in touch with old friends.
17.When I am relating a story, I often leave out details and just give the gist of what happened.
18.I find it difficult to understand instruction manuals for putting appliances together.
19.When I look at an animal, I like to know the precise species it belongs to.
20.If I were buying a computer, I would want to know the exact details about its hard drive and processor speed.
21.I enjoy participating in sport.
22.I try to avoid doing household chores if I can.
23.When I cook, I do not think about exactly how different methods and ingredients contribute to the final product.
24.I find it difficult to read and understand maps.
25.If I had a collection (e.g. CDs, coins, stamps), it would be highly organized.
26.When I look at a piece of furniture, I do not notice the details of how it was constructed.
27.The idea of engaging in 'risk-taking' activities appeals to me.
28.When I learn about historical events, I do not focus on exact dates.
29.When I read the newspaper, I am drawn to tables of information, such as football league scores or stock market indices.
30.When I learn a language, I become intrigued by its grammatical rules.
31.I find it difficult to learn my way around a new city.
32.I do not tend to watch science documentaries on television or read articles about science and nature.
33.If I were buying a stereo, I would want to know about its precise technical features.
34.I find it easy to grasp exactly how odds work in betting.
35.I am not very meticulous when I carry out DIY.
36.I find it easy to carry on a conversation with someone I've just met.
37.When I look at a building, I am curious about the precise way it was constructed.
38.When an election is being held, I am not interested in the results for each constituency.
39.When I lend someone money, I expect them to pay me back exactly what they owe me.
40.I find it difficult to understand information the bank sends me on different investment and saving systems.
41.When travelling by train, I often wonder exactly how the rail networks are coordinated.
42.When I buy a new appliance, I do not read the instruction manual very thoroughly.
43.If I were buying a camera, I would not look carefully into the quality of the lens.
44.When I read something, I always notice whether it is grammatically correct.
45.When I hear the weather forecast, I am not very interested in the meteorological patterns.
46.I often wonder what it would be like to be someone else.
47.I find it difficult to do two things at once.
48.When I look at a mountain, I think about precisely how it was formed.
49.I can easily visualize how the motorways in my region link up.
50.When I'm in a restaurant, I often have a hard time deciding what to order.
51.When I'm in a plane, I do not think about the aerodynamics.
52.I often forget the precise details of conversations I've had.
53.When I am walking in the country, I am curious about how the various kinds of trees differ.
54.After meeting someone just once or twice, I find it difficult to remember precisely what they look like.
55.I am interested in knowing the path a river takes from its source to the sea.
56.I do not read legal documents very carefully.
57.I am not interested in understanding how wireless communication works.
58.I am curious about life on other planets.
59.When I travel, I like to learn specific details about the culture of the place I am visiting.
60.I do not care to know the names of the plants I see.

Copyright © 2000-2008 Matt Sparks
version: 6.0.1; compile: 0.115s; conn: 2390