I once read that we live in a “Culture of Communication.” That phrase has always stuck with me as I have often used it to explain why at times I can be “hyper-verbal” (someone once used that term to describe me during a war of words). But, today I found out that I may no longer have to offer up an excuse for my verbose ways.
A new study conducted by a San Francisco psychiatrist says women talk three-times as much as men. Scientific certainty that women are blabber mouths… can it be true? Well, it is if you buy into Dr. Luann Brizendine’s theory that the average woman utters 20,000 words in a single day.
In her book “In The Female Mind,” Dr. Brizendine writes that a women’s utterances dwarf the paltry 7,000 spoken by the average man. Which of course confirms what every husband, boyfriend, and brother (okay, all men) have always known: Women talk too much. The study also concludes that women speak more quickly and use more brain cells while doing it.
Let’s back track a bit here. Personally, I think “too much” is a relative term. “Too much” to someone like your brother may be nothing compared to what “too much” means to your husband. As for the speed at which women speak and the use of brain cells… well, no surprise there. Ask any wife if she thinks (she thinks) longer and harder before saying something than her male counterparts… and you’ll see my point.
Interestingly, the study also found that women actually get a buzz from hearing their own voices. According to Dr. Brizendine, this exists as a result of a co-relation between the womb and the brain. She says that high levels of testosterone while the male child is developing in the womb eventually suppresses those areas of his brain that control communication, emotion and memory. (I told you the reason behind the babbling was scientific.)
So why do women talk more? According to one woman who took part in the research: “Women just have more to say.”
Need I say more?