I have recently, over the past month or so, become increasingly aware of one definite mental change I am having due to HRT.  I seem to have missed out on the earlier ones, like crying a lot, but this one seems very real.

I have always had a strong vocabulary and was able to use it very effectively in writing to express whatever idea was at hand.  However, that strength didn't really carry over in my ability to express myself verbally.  I often struggled to find the right word and that word often eluded me at the moment it was needed.  That has changed.  I now find that the words flow effortlessly and the right words pop right into my mind as they are needed.  No effort is required, they are just there.  Something in my brain has changed, maybe a new or stronger neural connection somewhere.  I'm not sure what it is but this is certainly a welcome thing to happpen.

Could be that you are just happier, more relaxed so the brain works more efficiently ...but estradiol is also known to have beneficial effects cognitively. Great for you!

I have found that i am more relaxed and that seems to come out in how i verbally interact with people. Also, my confidence level is up and i think that helps communication a lot.

I have seen this too. As I have been reaching out of my socially anxious world. I have found myself surrounded by strangers saying "I'm socially anxious " in a huge flood of words. I'm not even sure I can say I have anxiety any more. A major part of it is my confidence is way up. It's hard to be afraid when you like yourself.

It likely is a structural change in the communication center of your brain. I know it's made me more talkative, and my friends have pointed out the difference. I read a study not too long ago about the effects of testosterone on those transitioning from female to male. It literally caused a change in the brain, reducing the part of it that deals with communication. I haven't found any studies like this for those transitioning from male to female but I think it's reasonable to assume, and from my own personal observations, that estrogen increases not only the capacity for communicating but also being social, which I think is closely linked.

Yeah, I read that study a couple months ago - testosterone causes the gray matter of the brain to shrink, particularly in two areas that are linked to verbal skills, so if your testosterone drops, it might allow the gray matter to regrow? Mostly, though, I think there's a placebo effect - you feel more feminine, and therefore subconsciously act more feminine, which includes being able to speak more fluently. Or something like that.

Quote from: ThaliaNyx on December 02, 2015, 04:49:38 PM
Yeah, I read that study a couple months ago - testosterone causes the gray matter of the brain to shrink, particularly in two areas that are linked to verbal skills, so if your testosterone drops, it might allow the gray matter to regrow? Mostly, though, I think there's a placebo effect - you feel more feminine, and therefore subconsciously act more feminine, which includes being able to speak more fluently. Or something like that.

Perhaps some of it, but not all. I've experienced changes in my thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that I couldn't anticipate, and only after some introspection and learning of both male and female behaviors did I realize they were female-typical. When I was living with my now ex-boyfriend, I began to realize just how typical they were. Like I would recoil in horror as I watched myself nag my bf for not taking out the trash, and realized this was typical female behavior, and the kind of behavior men will gripe about. Certainly not something I would want to emulate for the sake of 'acting' like a woman. In fact, recognizing it and not being too thrilled with it made me realize quite a few things that just popped up like that, making me think it's definitely a hormonal influence on the brain rather than a conscious or unconscious effort to behave in more female-typical ways.

I have no doubt about changes in the brain. Tastes, smells, how i process information are just a few of the things that have changed or shifted to some degree.. I'd love to know all of what is going on in there. Of course so would my wife and most of the people that know me

I still can't put my finger on mental changes other than I'm happier being me.