American researchers have found that wisdom takes distinct forms in men and women, which may explain gender differences in well-being and mental health.
- The San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE) measures six components of this personality trait.
- These are self-reflection, prosocial behaviors (such as empathy, compassion, and altruism), emotional regulation, acceptance of diverse perspectives, decision-making skills, social counseling (such as giving helpful tips for others)
Wisdom is an important personality trait for mental health and well-being, according to scientists from the University of California, San Diego in the United States. As part of’a study recently published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, they tried to understand the differences in the manifestations of wisdom between men and women. For this, they recruited 659 people aged 27 to 103 years.
All participants had to complete a questionnaire. To assess this personality trait, the authors used the San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE) and the Three-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS). “The analyzes assessed gender differences in wisdom and the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between wisdom and related constructs, including depression, loneliness, well-being, optimism, and resilience. “, can we read in the works.
Wisdom is associated with better mental well-being
According to the results, women had higher scores in compassion and self-reflection. As for the men, they obtained better results in terms of certain cognitive functions and the control of emotions. The researchers found that in both genders, wisdom was associated with better mental well-being, optimism and resilience, and lower levels of depression and loneliness.
“Women and men have different forms of wisdom, likely due to socio-cultural and biological factors. Tailoring wisdom interventions to the profile of adults is an important step,” concluded the scientists.
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