Female / Male Personality Differences
The largest average response differences between female and male SimilarMinds test takers across personality, relationships, values, emotion, politics, lifestyle, and interests.
Each item is scored on the same SimilarMinds response scale. The table is ranked by the absolute difference between the female and male average. A larger number means a larger average sex difference on that item; it does not indicate that either response is better.
The source page reports a sample size of 5,000+ and an average test-taker age of 21.35. Because SimilarMinds users are self-selected and unusually young, these results should be read as descriptive of this test-taking sample rather than exact population estimates.
Largest Female-Higher Differences
- 1.775 — In a romantic relationship I expect my partner to be more of the protector.
- 1.696 — Women should run the world.
- 1.478 — I don't trust men.
- 1.467 — I don't trust the opposite sex.
- 1.454 — I believe crystals have healing abilities.
- 1.444 — I like jewelry.
Largest Male-Higher Differences
- 1.466 — I am pro nuclear energy plants.
- 1.393 — Men should run the world.
- 1.338 — I never cry.
- 1.219 — I could handle being a drone pilot who had to kill enemy soldiers.
- 1.208 — I find it odd that people inject stuff in their lips to make them plumper.
- 1.141 — I frequently do strength building exercise.
Largest Item Differences
The current source contains hundreds of experimental items. This redesigned table preserves the highest-ranked differences—the portion most useful for seeing the strongest patterns—while making the direction of each difference explicit.
| Item | Female Avg | Male Avg | Difference | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In a romantic relationship I expect my partner to be more of the protector. | 3.904 | 2.129 | 1.775 | F ↑ |
| Women should run the world. | 3.816 | 2.119 | 1.696 | F ↑ |
| I don't trust men. | 4.228 | 2.749 | 1.478 | F ↑ |
| I don't trust the opposite sex. | 3.757 | 2.290 | 1.467 | F ↑ |
| I am pro nuclear energy plants. | 2.695 | 4.162 | 1.466 | M ↑ |
| I believe crystals have healing abilities. | 2.395 | 0.941 | 1.454 | F ↑ |
| I like jewelry. | 4.438 | 2.994 | 1.444 | F ↑ |
| Men should run the world. | 0.744 | 2.137 | 1.393 | M ↑ |
| Growing up I wanted to be a model. | 2.730 | 1.376 | 1.354 | F ↑ |
| I never cry. | 1.405 | 2.743 | 1.338 | M ↑ |
| I like to dress in body revealing clothes. | 2.768 | 1.475 | 1.293 | F ↑ |
| Body trends influence how I want my body to look. | 3.450 | 2.183 | 1.268 | F ↑ |
| I could handle being a drone pilot who had to kill enemy soldiers. | 1.645 | 2.864 | 1.219 | M ↑ |
| Some day it will probably be shown that astrology can explain a lot of things. | 2.872 | 1.657 | 1.215 | F ↑ |
| I find it odd that people inject stuff in their lips to make them plumper. | 3.446 | 4.654 | 1.208 | M ↑ |
| I frequently do strength building exercise. | 1.659 | 2.800 | 1.141 | M ↑ |
| In a romantic relationship I expect my partner to be more of the provider. | 3.248 | 2.112 | 1.137 | F ↑ |
| I like women who don't wear makeup. | 2.929 | 4.009 | 1.080 | M ↑ |
| I am sexually dominant. | 2.279 | 3.358 | 1.079 | M ↑ |
| I am sexually submissive. | 3.826 | 2.747 | 1.078 | F ↑ |
| I'm more attracted to women who don't wear any makeup. | 2.731 | 3.804 | 1.073 | M ↑ |
| My hips are much wider than my waist. | 3.658 | 2.596 | 1.062 | F ↑ |
| I am emotionally stable, not easily upset. | 1.518 | 2.564 | 1.046 | M ↑ |
| I support LGBTQ culture. | 5.084 | 4.038 | 1.045 | F ↑ |
| I think a woman should take her husband's last name. | 1.680 | 2.721 | 1.041 | M ↑ |
| I am pro nuclear energy. | 2.741 | 3.778 | 1.037 | M ↑ |
| I value the contribution of males in the world. | 3.530 | 4.558 | 1.028 | M ↑ |
| Stressful situations make me shut down. | 4.413 | 3.391 | 1.021 | F ↑ |
| I watch several reality tv shows. | 2.185 | 1.169 | 1.016 | F ↑ |
| I do strength training one day a week. | 1.489 | 2.505 | 1.016 | M ↑ |
| I do not get upset easily. | 1.608 | 2.599 | 0.991 | M ↑ |
| I consume a lot of content related to true crime stories. | 3.767 | 2.788 | 0.979 | F ↑ |
| I roll my eyes to communicate sometimes. | 3.866 | 2.895 | 0.971 | F ↑ |
| I am relaxed, handle stress well. | 1.716 | 2.683 | 0.967 | M ↑ |
| Police shouldn't be able to use lethal force. | 3.575 | 2.611 | 0.964 | F ↑ |
| I prefer to eat a high protein diet. | 2.783 | 3.739 | 0.956 | M ↑ |
| I feel like my primary purpose is to display beauty. | 2.808 | 1.854 | 0.955 | F ↑ |
| I love being spoiled. | 4.240 | 3.295 | 0.945 | F ↑ |
| I understand the world is not fair, and I'm ok with that. | 2.944 | 3.887 | 0.943 | M ↑ |
| I want to be a great athlete. | 1.806 | 2.738 | 0.933 | M ↑ |
| Cultural appropriation is not cool. | 4.582 | 3.652 | 0.930 | F ↑ |
| I always insist on paying for me and my date when I go on dates. | 2.729 | 3.654 | 0.925 | M ↑ |
| Growing up I was obsessed with celebrities. | 2.381 | 1.464 | 0.917 | F ↑ |
| I reverse engineer. | 2.405 | 3.302 | 0.897 | M ↑ |
| I believe in karma. | 4.321 | 3.426 | 0.895 | F ↑ |
| I'm willing to die in the defense of my country. | 1.096 | 1.981 | 0.885 | M ↑ |
| I prefer watching short media clips (tiktok, youtube) to longer form media. | 3.784 | 2.899 | 0.885 | F ↑ |
| People have told me I'm bossy. | 3.130 | 2.262 | 0.868 | F ↑ |
| I could walk or run 10 miles (20k steps) everyday easily. | 2.198 | 3.062 | 0.864 | M ↑ |
| I'm more likely to wear a V-neck than a rounded-neck tshirt. | 2.207 | 1.350 | 0.856 | F ↑ |
| When people criticize me I shut down. | 3.873 | 3.018 | 0.855 | F ↑ |
| I need a lot of validation. | 4.623 | 3.769 | 0.853 | F ↑ |
| I value men highly. | 2.623 | 3.467 | 0.844 | M ↑ |
| Equality is overrated. | 1.432 | 2.276 | 0.843 | M ↑ |
| My brand is to oversexualize myself. | 2.490 | 1.647 | 0.843 | F ↑ |
| I support transgender rights. | 4.489 | 3.646 | 0.843 | F ↑ |
| I frequently do endurance building exercise. | 1.629 | 2.470 | 0.841 | M ↑ |
| I would like to be a fashion designer. | 2.645 | 1.809 | 0.837 | F ↑ |
| I get disgusted easily. | 3.726 | 2.893 | 0.832 | F ↑ |
| I get cold easily. | 4.011 | 3.180 | 0.831 | F ↑ |
| If I was confident in my appearance I would post photos of myself on social media. | 3.862 | 3.031 | 0.830 | F ↑ |
| I have / want to get tattoos. | 4.170 | 3.342 | 0.829 | F ↑ |
| I have/want a lot of tattoos. | 3.023 | 2.206 | 0.818 | F ↑ |
| I'm taller than the average person of my gender. | 2.240 | 3.057 | 0.817 | M ↑ |
| I believe that I am better than others. | 2.256 | 3.072 | 0.816 | M ↑ |
| I'm always calm. | 2.093 | 2.906 | 0.813 | M ↑ |
| I tend to attach myself to a favorite person and they become my life and identity. | 4.033 | 3.224 | 0.810 | F ↑ |
| I need a lot of attention. | 4.057 | 3.249 | 0.809 | F ↑ |
| Hiearchy and inequality are natural. | 2.647 | 3.446 | 0.799 | M ↑ |
| I do strength training five days a week. | 1.067 | 1.865 | 0.798 | M ↑ |
| I think you can joke about everything. | 3.426 | 4.205 | 0.779 | M ↑ |
| I do strength training six days a week. | 0.923 | 1.702 | 0.779 | M ↑ |
| If I ate a steak, I would prefer it rare or medium-rare. | 2.831 | 3.607 | 0.776 | M ↑ |
| I am not as upset as others when someone dies. | 3.198 | 3.973 | 0.775 | M ↑ |
| I willingly watch a sports match at least once a week. | 0.758 | 1.530 | 0.772 | M ↑ |
| I value looks more than money in selecting a romantic partner. | 3.488 | 4.254 | 0.766 | M ↑ |
| I send pictures of my outfits to significant others. | 2.551 | 1.786 | 0.765 | F ↑ |
| I don't understand people that want to be surrounded by diversity. | 1.295 | 2.058 | 0.763 | M ↑ |
| I'm not a victim. | 2.768 | 3.529 | 0.761 | M ↑ |
| I love holiday decorations. | 4.111 | 3.353 | 0.759 | F ↑ |
| I'm kind of obsessed with social media. | 3.599 | 2.842 | 0.757 | F ↑ |
| I am spiritual. | 3.191 | 2.444 | 0.748 | F ↑ |
| I expect to be recognized as superior. | 1.955 | 2.701 | 0.746 | M ↑ |
| A beautiful face affects me more than a beautiful sunset. | 2.790 | 3.534 | 0.745 | M ↑ |
| I prefer to be led than lead in a romantic relationship. | 4.068 | 3.324 | 0.744 | F ↑ |
| Romantically speaking I deserve someone that totally adores me. | 4.546 | 3.805 | 0.741 | F ↑ |
| If I had unlimited funds I might go a bit crazy with cosmetic surgery. | 1.904 | 1.168 | 0.737 | F ↑ |
| Someone should be allowed to protect their property using whatever means necessary. | 3.173 | 3.907 | 0.735 | M ↑ |
| I am sensual/dramatic. | 3.762 | 3.032 | 0.730 | F ↑ |
| When a significant person in my life is unkind or hurtful to me, I feel like the world is ending and I'm dying. | 4.380 | 3.652 | 0.729 | F ↑ |
| I've been romantically hit on by others more than I've romantically hit on others. | 3.725 | 2.997 | 0.728 | F ↑ |
| My motto is always maintain calm. | 3.022 | 3.750 | 0.727 | M ↑ |
| My emotions in general are incredibly flat. | 2.333 | 3.054 | 0.721 | M ↑ |
| Very few things affect me long term. | 2.172 | 2.891 | 0.720 | M ↑ |
| I prefer to vote for conservative/right-wing candidates. | 1.399 | 2.118 | 0.719 | M ↑ |
| It feels like my feelings completely define me, because often I can't see around them. | 3.600 | 2.891 | 0.708 | F ↑ |
| I could enjoy camping alone for a week. | 2.393 | 3.101 | 0.708 | M ↑ |
| I need to be chased romantically. | 3.740 | 3.032 | 0.708 | F ↑ |
| From a biological perspective, there are only two sexes. | 3.633 | 4.339 | 0.706 | M ↑ |
| Every aspect of life and society that can be perceived as negative can be boiled down to an issue of power and oppression. | 3.819 | 3.114 | 0.705 | F ↑ |
| I prefer a romantic partner who will take charge of things. | 3.995 | 3.294 | 0.701 | F ↑ |
| I'm very fitness driven. | 2.100 | 2.797 | 0.696 | M ↑ |
| I have a very big victim complex. | 2.759 | 2.066 | 0.692 | F ↑ |
| Having children is very important to me. | 1.939 | 2.630 | 0.691 | M ↑ |
| Insulting someone's country is a serious matter. | 2.964 | 2.277 | 0.687 | F ↑ |
| Most bad things that happen to people are the victim's fault. | 1.345 | 2.030 | 0.685 | M ↑ |
| I care about how much money a romantic partner has or will have in the future. | 2.958 | 2.276 | 0.682 | F ↑ |
| I have to be the number one person in any relationship I'm in. | 3.367 | 2.685 | 0.682 | F ↑ |
| I use a lot of emotion when speaking. | 3.672 | 2.992 | 0.679 | F ↑ |
| I am interpersonally exploitive, i.e., I take advantage of others to achieve my own ends. | 1.876 | 2.553 | 0.678 | M ↑ |
| You have to be able to protect things by force. | 3.274 | 3.945 | 0.671 | M ↑ |
| I obsess about how I look. | 4.025 | 3.356 | 0.669 | F ↑ |
| I think my country is better than other countries. | 1.848 | 2.514 | 0.667 | M ↑ |
| I only date people who work hard to try to get me. | 2.877 | 2.213 | 0.664 | F ↑ |
| Bad boys/girls are my thing. | 3.239 | 2.579 | 0.660 | F ↑ |
| I want other people to want to carry me through life in luxury. | 2.999 | 2.339 | 0.659 | F ↑ |
| I'm very health and fitness driven. | 2.024 | 2.681 | 0.657 | M ↑ |
| I have purchased merchandise from bands I like. | 3.351 | 2.695 | 0.656 | F ↑ |
| I actively pursue and crave admiration, compliments, and positive attention from others. | 4.178 | 3.523 | 0.654 | F ↑ |
| I have always wanted to be a model. | 2.158 | 1.508 | 0.651 | F ↑ |
| In a romantic relationship, sexual attraction is more important to me than mental or emotional attraction. | 1.275 | 1.923 | 0.648 | M ↑ |
| Spanking children is an appropriate form of discipline. | 1.551 | 2.199 | 0.647 | M ↑ |
| I have a bad temper. | 3.965 | 3.319 | 0.646 | F ↑ |
| Running two miles a day is better than walking five miles. | 2.447 | 3.092 | 0.645 | M ↑ |
| The hunter gatherer lifestyle appeals to me. | 1.960 | 2.601 | 0.641 | M ↑ |
| My gender identity is different than the gender I was designated at birth. | 1.764 | 1.123 | 0.640 | F ↑ |
| When I look at group photos I'm in I focus more on how I look in them. | 4.965 | 4.325 | 0.640 | F ↑ |
| I believe in herbal medicine. | 3.310 | 2.672 | 0.638 | F ↑ |
| Physical violence is understandable. | 2.820 | 3.458 | 0.638 | M ↑ |
| I have a history of trauma dumping on people. | 3.374 | 2.736 | 0.638 | F ↑ |
| I am quick to anger. | 4.015 | 3.384 | 0.632 | F ↑ |
| I need someone to take care of me. | 3.227 | 2.597 | 0.630 | F ↑ |
| Feelings are more important than facts. | 3.010 | 2.380 | 0.629 | F ↑ |
| I'm never in a rush. | 1.707 | 2.336 | 0.628 | M ↑ |
| I easily lose my temper. | 3.773 | 3.148 | 0.625 | F ↑ |
| I never worry about my looks. | 0.931 | 1.554 | 0.623 | M ↑ |
| I expect a significant other to back me up even when I'm wrong. | 3.375 | 2.754 | 0.621 | F ↑ |
| I don't need much money to get by. | 2.384 | 3.003 | 0.619 | M ↑ |
| No worries is the philosophy I live by. | 2.140 | 2.758 | 0.618 | M ↑ |
| I only lay down if I'm sleepy. | 1.805 | 2.422 | 0.617 | M ↑ |
| I'd rather be talented than thin. | 3.424 | 4.041 | 0.617 | M ↑ |
| There is very little that I care about. | 2.206 | 2.819 | 0.613 | M ↑ |
| I often mention books I have read in conversation. | 2.822 | 2.209 | 0.613 | F ↑ |
| I feel like I'm always adjusting myself to maximize the amount of people admiring me. | 3.558 | 2.947 | 0.610 | F ↑ |
| I am very nervous. | 4.239 | 3.630 | 0.609 | F ↑ |
| I am immune to social shame. | 1.639 | 2.247 | 0.608 | M ↑ |
| I'm willing to die for my group. | 2.327 | 2.934 | 0.607 | M ↑ |
| I'm not very active. | 3.522 | 2.915 | 0.607 | F ↑ |
| Facts are more important than feelings. | 3.240 | 3.846 | 0.607 | M ↑ |
What the Strongest Differences Cluster Around
The largest gaps are not concentrated in one narrow personality domain. They span romantic-role expectations, appearance and beauty, physical strength and activity, emotional stability and emotional intensity, sexuality, social validation, political attitudes, spirituality, entertainment interests, aggression, and national or cultural attitudes.
Several broad patterns appear repeatedly in these top-ranked items. Female averages are often higher on appearance concern, social validation, emotional intensity, relationship dependence, spiritual or supernatural beliefs, and some progressive social attitudes. Male averages are often higher on physical strength and endurance, emotional steadiness or low reactivity, force/aggression-related items, nationalism or conservative attitudes, and some status or dominance items.
These are average differences with substantial overlap between individuals. A large group difference does not make an item a reliable way to determine an individual's sex, and many people will fall far from the average for their group.
How to Interpret the Numbers
The score difference is descriptive, not causal. It cannot tell us how much of a difference reflects biology, socialization, culture, cohort effects, selection into the SimilarMinds sample, wording of the item, or interactions among those factors.
It is also useful to distinguish statistical interest from substantive importance. Some items have unusually large sex differences but may measure narrow preferences. Other personality characteristics may be more important to everyday behavior even when their average sex difference is smaller.