This is observable chauvinism. Men and women respond differently to new and challenging ideas. Women seek to make sense of the new idea, to grasp how it can be seen as accurate and useful. It involves empathizing with the speaker to cooperatively assimilate the truth together, i.e. cooperating. Women effectively use this same listening style when someone has a personal problem.
Accurate observation is necessary to succeed in most areas.
In academia it is the only respected way of knowing. Men like the intellectual game. Women frequently dislike this kind of discourse, believing arguments don't influence anyone's thinking and reduce intimacy. Both are valuable skills. So, this short review should alert you that when men and women interact with others, they are very different.