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Who talks more... men or women?
For years the conventional studies showed that women's daily word-count exceeded the average man's tally. "In The Female Mind, Dr Luan Brizendine says women devote more brain cells to talking than men. And, if that wasn't enough, the simple act of talking triggers a flood of brain chemicals which give women a rush similar to that felt by heroin addicts when they get a high."
Then along came Friday's edition of the journal, Science. I don't read journals - but evidently the AP does - and here's what they had to say:
"A team led by Matthias R. Mehl, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, came up with the finding, which is published in Friday's issue of the journal Science.
The researchers placed microphones on 396 college students for periods ranging from two to 10 days, sampled their conversations and calculated how many words they used in the course of a day.
The score: Women, 16,215. Men, 15,669."
So we are equals, after all? I don't know if this study's the end-all, but I do feel sorry for those scientists sitting around counting hundreds of thousands of words. It's a good thing they have important work to do - otherwise, you know, they might have to cure cancer.
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