Inacurrate conclusion from an less than comprehensive trial. This is a comparison of young college age boys and girls. Try the same thing with middle aged men and women and I'm sure that results will differ.

Inacurrate conclusion from an less than comprehensive trial. This is a comparison of young college age boys and girls. Try the same thing with middle aged men and women and I'm sure that results will differ. Men's brain cortex's linking the 2 hemispheres shrink with age, reducing a desire to communicate.

Mel D, Vancouver, Canada

Every day there is a new "study" that disputes a previous "study". hmmm Leads one to disbelieve any of these so called "studies". I've been married 3 times. I know first hand that women talk continuously. 500 people from a nation of millions? Come on. That's not science. That's some shmo wanna be accademic that wants to get on the 5 oclock news.

Tom, Eagle, Idaho

I wonder if the results would really be the same for older men? Not that the young men surveyed will lose the ability to talk as they ago, but I suspect young men today are much more likely to be talkative (and indeed in touch with their feminine side) than older generations of men.

Graham Wood, London, UK

Obviously the man who spoke 500 words that day was married, had no children and was watching a sports channel in which his team was winning comfortably.

QED, if we men don't need to speak, we don't.

michael, christchurch, new zealand

I guess I am getting it. Woman's voice is melodious in substance, and hence is noticed when they speak, while the men's is hardly heard or noticed, and soon forgotten; hence creating a notion the former talk more.

Ranjit Kumar, Moline, USA

very interesting article I would like to use with my students in human resource management

jeremy gladstone, Besançon, France

KS Alim - oh my sides are splitting. The wit. The spelling...

Pre-determined notions and biases are always entrenched. I know verbal diaorrhea-afflicted blokes & wimmin, but nasty little digs always aimed at the females.

The old feminist adage certainly remain true :

"Men complain, not because women talk more than they do, but that they talk at all"

WordsArePower, Leeds,

Am I the only one who thinks that the true findings are that Americans talk too much? Having worked with them for a number of years, this just confirms my long held beliefs.

David, Essex, UK

Alim,

It is amazing that in spite of the information presented in this article you still have the audacity to state, "It is a well known fact that women talk more than men" and then go on to claim some article from some Indian paper (of course you don't present it). Oh, and then you have the ultimate "proof:" a joke. True brilliance.

I personally don't care whether we talk more than women or not. What does it matter?

Michael, New York,

I would be fairly surprised if there was not a strong correlation between the need to speak and levels of insecurity. These are bound to change as we age and quite possibly at different rates between men and women.

Greg Hyne, Bristol, UK

Nah! . . . piffle! Another example of 'research' being counter-intuitive, and, worse, running in the face of much experience in the real world, - where (inter) feminine talkativeness (in cultures that permit it) has some genuinely useful functions in situations of distress.

Perry, Huddersfield,

"related articles: 'Yackety-Yak' "

silly season?

chas, oxford,

Nah! . . . piffle! Another example of 'research' being counter-intuitive, and, worse, running in the face of much experience in the real world, - where (inter) feminine talkativeness (in cultures that permit it) has some genuinely useful functions in situations of distress.

Perry, Huddersfield,

There has also been a study done that women tend to participate/speak less at classes in university . . . not such wonderful news.

dia, toronto,

I would guarantee that if the study had examined conversations between males and females the females would completely dominate.

Geoff Butcher, Nassau, Bahamas

Newsflash: Study proves that women are not more emotional than men!

Is there some kind of conspiracy afoot to pretend that women and men are the same? I don't care how many studies conclude anything...you'd have to be a fool to listen to a "study" rather than your own real life daily experience.

Before this one, there was a spin on the women talking more than men thing by suggesting that women have more "developed" communication centers in their brains. Fascinating.

Why can't men and women be different (as they are) and happy with their differences, rather than having our society constantly trying to make the women masculine and the men feminine?

Petros, Virginia, USA

No surprise here whatsoever, just switch on a sports program & listen to men going on & on & on yawn yawn .

maggie Millington, brittany, france

Prof. Pennebaker and Dr. Mehl must know my sisters in law. They speaks 50 words a day...20000 times a day... That is abaout 1250 per minute

Vernon , Guadalajara, Mexico

I've seen the ex talk in her sleep.There's still somethinh in the legacy idea

James, Sydney, Australia

The problem with this study is that some research suggests that the human brain may continue to mature for some time past college age. Thus we might find that the male/female speech ratios change dramatically over time. A much wider range of ages is needed to really nail down what the speech ratio may be.

Dee Lee, Topeka, KS

While I'm sure it was intended as humour, I have to say I find Professor Pennebaker's speculation about men over 30 running out of things to say somewhat shallow. As a 31 year old male who has definitely noticed a decrease in my interest to 'chat' over the last few years, it is less about having something to say and more about having no interest in the things that are said around me. I find myself no longer surprised by anyone's behaviour or anything that gets into the news, and as such have little to say in my general day to day interactions with people. That said, start an (at the risk of sounding like a twat) educated discussion on politics, (non tabloid) current affairs, etc and it all come out. Bottom line, to me it's all about personal interests and as you get older you tend to focus more specifically on those interests, at the expense of (to me, superficial) everyday matters.

Frase, Auckland, New Zealand

I've no words!
However, I should admit that Professor Pennebaker's argumentations sounds reasonable, particularly upon men's and women's subject matter of talks.
Arrivederci!

Roberto Puglisi, Monreale (PA), Italy

"That is good!"

Dr. Jaime E. Contreras (male), Puebla, Puebla, Mexico

The cross section of 400 college students is far from the norm, as most of these individuals are not married or live in marriage type relationships. So even if there is no marital conflict, this study won't reflect what is going on. It reflects more of the young flirtatious boys and girls between 18 -26 rather than the more settled or more professional 25-70 year olds.

Rave, Vancouver, Canada

interesting article I would like to use with my students in human resource management

jeremy gladstone, Besançon, France

The study misses the point. It's the content of male and female talk that conveys the impression that women talk more. As someone who works at home and consequently spends a great deal of time around mothers chaffeuring children (that's another subject) I am treated to a feast of eavesdroping on both sexes. There seems to be no content to their talk beyond simple contact and mutual comfort. Without seeming condescending, it seems more like securing a community, like birdsong. Thye seem to be saying, quite simply, "I'm here, you're here, we're all here." Of course, there are subtle subtexts of power interplay and a number of other undercurrents, but very little overt information is exchanged. Males, on the other hand, eye each other more warily, exchange handshakes (high fives if young) mutter disarming sports data and unless they have specific information to convey, disengage abruptly. The women seem to chirp endlessly about nothing or anything. It seems to be just comforting signals.

Richard Albarino, Santa Monica, USA, California

Dear Ediror,
It is a known fact that women talk more than men. Long time ago I read in a newspaper in India that "women talk more than the busiest business man".
And also it is a joke: Question: "What is the 8th wonder of the world?" (Of course we do not have one, we stop at 7).
The Answer is 'two women were keeping quite!' (which can never happen even if they are stangers!). (It is only a discussion, please do not take it seriously)

K.S. Alim, Toronto, Ontario / Canada

Dear Ediror,
It is a known fact that women talk more than men. Long time ago I read in a newspaper in India that "women talk more than the busiest business man".
And also it is a joke: Question: "What is the 8th wonder of the world?" (Of course we do not have one, we stop at 7).
The Answer is 'two women were keeping quite!' (which can never happen even if they are stangers!). (It is only a discussion, please do not take it seriously)
K.S. Alim,
Toronto, Ontario.

K.S. Alim, Toronto, Ontario / Canada