Serotonin Studies Don’t Define Women

Women Are Resilient, Not Deficient: The Real Threat Is Abuse and Ignorance , Not Mood Disorders

I recently read a study published in PNAS claiming that men produce 52% more serotonin than women, particularly in regions like the cortex and hippocampus. Serotonin – the so-called “feel-good chemical” – is linked to mood, memory, and stress resilience. According to the researchers, this difference could explain why women are supposedly more vulnerable to mood disorders.

Here’s the problem: headlines like these are not simply scientific observations. They are easily misused to reinforce harmful stereotypes about women. They feed into a cultural narrative that we are “too emotional,” “less rational,” “moody,” or somehow incapable of handling complex responsibilities. This narrative is misleading, and in some contexts, it can be profoundly dangerous. It frames women as biologically flawed rather than recognising the social and environmental pressures we navigate daily.

From lived experience, I can attest that emotional regulation, resilience, and strength are not determined by serotonin levels or by gender. In my previous relationship, I navigated relentless cycles of rage, manipulation, and chaos while simultaneously managing household responsibilities, running a business, maintaining my art practice, and protecting my own physical and mental health. I held the home together, managed the emotional climate of the space, and maintained stability for everyone around me – all while enduring constant belittlement, criticism, provocation, and emotional attack. My partner? A whirlwind of unpredictability, love-bombing, and emotional volatility. The reality is that women are frequently more susceptible not because of biology but because we are expected to absorb, contain, and accommodate the instability and unregulated emotions of those around us.

Many men struggle with emotional regulation well into adulthood. Society often excuses these patterns with sayings like “boys will be boys,” reinforcing behaviour that would not be tolerated in women. In contrast, women are pathologized for reacting naturally to stress, injustice, or abuse. Oversimplified interpretations of studies like this can be weaponized to suggest that women are biologically inferior. This is not only scientifically shallow but culturally insidious: it absolves systems of responsibility and reinforces outdated hierarchies while discouraging women from trusting their own capabilities. Emotional intelligence, accountability, resilience, and strength are far more nuanced than the presence or absence of a single neurotransmitter. They are cultivated through experience, reflection, and survival under complex social and environmental pressures.

Discernment is key. We must read such studies critically, understanding the context and limitations, and asking: Who benefits from framing women as fragile? Who profits from perpetuating division? Science, when used responsibly, should empower and enlighten, not serve as a tool for bias, control, or cultural oppression. We must question interpretations, challenge simplistic conclusions, and resist the narratives that diminish lived human experience.

Women are resilient. Women are capable. No study, no data point, no cortical measure can capture the full scope of human strength, wisdom, or the lived realities that shape our emotional lives. We navigate complexity, bear responsibility, and transform adversity into skill, insight, and compassion. The real threat to women is not our brain chemistry; it is abuse, ignorance, and the societal structures that fail to account for the full human context in which we exist.

We must reclaim the narrative: emotional strength is not weakness; sensitivity is not deficiency; resilience is not biologically determined, but socially, culturally, and spiritually cultivated. Women have always demonstrated extraordinary fortitude, capacity for empathy, and brilliance in navigating life’s challenges – often in conditions that leave us undervalued or dismissed. It is time to recognize that women are whole, capable, and powerful, irrespective of what a single study suggests.

Let us cultivate discernment over division, awareness over assumption, and empowerment over reductive explanations. Science should illuminate human potential, not define limitations based on gender alone.

#WomenEmpowerment #EmotionalIntelligence #ScienceCritique #MentalHealth #GenderStereotypes #CriticalThinking #Resilience #EmotionalResilience