laisla Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 "It is something one half of the population has long suspected - and the other half always vocally denied. Women really do talk more than men. In fact, women talk almost three times as much as men, with the average woman chalking up 20,000 words in a day - 13,000 more than the average man. Women also speak more quickly, devote more brainpower to chit-chat - and actually get a buzz out of hearing their own voices, a new book suggests. The book - written by a female psychiatrist - says that inherent differences between the male and female brain explain why women are naturally more talkative than men. 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. Dr Brizendine, a self-proclaimed feminist, says the differences can be traced back to the womb, where the sex hormone testosterone moulds the developing male brain. The areas responsible for communication, emotion and memory are all pared back the unborn baby boy. The result is that boys - and men - chat less than their female counterparts and struggle to express their emotions to the same extent. "Women have an eight-lane superhighway for processing emotion, while men have a small country road," said Dr Brizendine, who runs a female "mood and hormone" clinic in San Francisco. There are, however, advantages to being the strong, silent type. Dr Brizendine explains that testosterone also reduces the size of the section of the brain involved in hearing - allowing men to become "deaf" to the most logical of arguments put forward by their wives and girlfriends. But what the male brain may lack in converstation and emotion, they more than make up with in their ability to think about sex. Dr Brizendine says the brain's "sex processor" - the areas responsible for sexual thoughts - is twice as big as in men than in women, perhaps explaining why men are stereotyped as having sex on the mind. Or, to put it another way, men have an international airport for dealing with thoughts about sex, "where women have an airfield nearby that lands small and private planes". Studies have shown that while a man will think about sex every 52 seconds, the subject tends to cross women's minds just once a day, the University of California psychiatrist says. Dr Brizendine, whose book is based on her own clinical work and analyses of more than 1,000 scientific studies, added: "There is no unisex brain. "Girls arrive already wired as girls, and boys arrive already wired as boys. Their brains are different by the time they're born, and their brains are what drive their impulses, values and their very reality. "I know it is not politically correct to say this but I've been torn for years between my politics and what science is telling us. "I believe women actually perceive the world differently from men. "If women attend to those differences they can make better decisions about how to manage their lives." Other scientists, however, are sceptical about the effects of testosterone on the brain and say many of the differences between the male and female personality can be explained by social conditioning, with a child's upbringing greatly influencing their character. Deborah Cameron, an Oxford University linguistics professor with a special interest in language and gender, said the amount we talk is influenced by who we are with and what we are doing. She added: "If you aggregate a large number of studies you will find there is little difference between the amount men and women talk." Already available in the US, The Female Brain will be available in the UK from April." interesting! Link to comment
Cognitive_Canine Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Ha, this woman clearly hasn't met my boyfriend. He can go on and on and on.... Link to comment
Raistlin Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Alright, note to self: When a woman wants to talk, let her. (Knew this already, but still) Link to comment
Cognitive_Canine Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Although, it is true that I do get a high from talking. But, it really depends on the situation. Link to comment
laisla Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 so basically, when we women talk a lot, and the guy is just looking at us and not saying anything...he's thinking of sex. pretty obvious lol. Link to comment
COtuner Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Ha, this woman clearly hasn't met my boyfriend. He can go on and on and on.... You beat me to it.... I have a hard time getting a word in edgewise with the BF. He talks AT me though. Link to comment
COtuner Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 so basically, when we women talk a lot, and the guy is just looking at us and not saying anything...he's thinking of sex. pretty obvious lol. Mine has told me he's ignoring me and letting me talk so I "feel better". Of course that resulted in a fight. Link to comment
laisla Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 Mine has told me he's ignoring me and letting me talk so I "feel better". Of course that resulted in a fight. ouch i talk way too much. but not with everyone. just a select group of people...have been like this since i was a toddler. Link to comment
COtuner Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Me too. I can babble on like an idiot but I have to be in the right situation or with people I'm comfortable with. I hardly talk to the BF at all anymore. Now he is mad that I don't. Geez... Link to comment
psychoanalytical Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 "The book - written by a female psychiatrist - says that inherent differences between the male and female brain explain why women are naturally more talkative than men." I would like to see the studies and figures to back this up, and I would question the methods used in these studies to derive the conclusions... It should sound awfully conclusive for claims as difficult to confirm as in the disciplines of sociology and psychology. If things were this easy then Sigmond Freud would be God. But I should think I get the point - if a woman wants to talk, let her. It makes them feel good and then ur in w/ a grin. Link to comment
agent1607307371 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Gah, this has been debunked somewhere but I can't remember where. That's going to drive me mad thinking about it. Also Studies have shown that while a man will think about sex every 52 seconds, the subject tends to cross women's minds just once a day, the University of California psychiatrist says. Yeah, one sex thought a day, it's just that it lasts 24 hours. Frankly, this woman calling herself a feminist is as accurate as me calling myself a duck. Link to comment
lila... Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Ha, this woman clearly hasn't met my boyfriend. He can go on and on and on.... Ha, same here. My boyfriend talks and talks....I'm the real quiet one. I don't like talking, I prefer listening, that's one way I'm really different from the average woman. And I don't ever talk just to talk, I always think through what I'm going to say...that's why often I don't end up saying anything. hehe. Link to comment
COtuner Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 When I'm infatuated or in love, I have sex thoughts a couple times an hour, so much for that study at Cal...... now if I'm not, it's maybe a few times a week... Link to comment
laisla Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 When I'm infatuated or in love, I have sex thoughts a couple times an hour, so much for that study at Cal...... now if I'm not, it's maybe a few times a week... it's like 10-50 times a day for me. once a day is waaaaaaay too little. Link to comment
Godless_Heathen Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 The problem isn't that women talk 3x as much as men. It's that they're saying half as much while they do it. Link to comment
hei Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Assuming you and the first post here is correct, heck, I'd sure as hell talk 24/7 without really having anything to say.. I wonder if there's a connection between the amount of words a day and how often one thinks about sex.. Link to comment
laisla Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 The problem isn't that women talk 3x as much as men. It's that they're saying half as much while they do it. hater you know you appreciate every bit of it. Link to comment
Cognitive_Canine Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Gah, this has been debunked somewhere but I can't remember where. That's going to drive me mad thinking about it. Also Yeah, one sex thought a day, it's just that it lasts 24 hours. Frankly, this woman calling herself a feminist is as accurate as me calling myself a duck. Oh, I know. It's the one thing that would ever keep me from paying attention in class. I really have to fight it sometimes. Link to comment
sweetdslollipop Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 i'm not talkative at all. and lol at having my quote in your siggy. yay for sarcasm! Link to comment
laisla Posted March 28, 2009 Author Share Posted March 28, 2009 i'm not talkative at all. and lol at having my quote in your siggy. yay for sarcasm! i thought it was really cute and hilarious Link to comment
agatha Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 Ha, this woman clearly hasn't met my boyfriend. He can go on and on and on.... and surely hasn't met any of my ex's. whoa, did they talk... at me, for HOURS! but I guess it's just because I'm more on the quiet, observing type. I don't really talk a lot (though I do write a lot), so someone has to fill the silence. only met two guys that were just as comfortable as me not speaking much. my longest lasting relationships = ) Link to comment
Caldus Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I'm one of the most quiet guys you would ever meet. Then again, I've met some guys who talk way too much. So I mean, eh, whatever, I guess I can believe the study. In the rare occasion I am with a girl, she is always the much more talkative one. Link to comment
InThisCity Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 ouch i talk way too much. but not with everyone. just a select group of people...have been like this since i was a toddler. "but not with everyone" That sets you apart. Something I'm finding lately is people with the "give special attention to everyone" syndrome. It's annoying, and it's fake. Good for you for being more careful and selective. Link to comment
yeawutever Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I wished, I been struggling with that almost my whole life way back from the time I was a kid till now still. Many times I either don't add more to it or basically have nothing more to say. So it must either not be on that part of my brain or if it is then guess it hasn't fully develop or I just wasn't born with that gift. Link to comment
psychoanalytical Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 I wished, I been struggling with that almost my whole life way back from the time I was a kid till now still. Many times I either don't add more to it or basically have nothing more to say. So it must either not be on that part of my brain or if it is then guess it hasn't fully develop or I just wasn't born with that gift. Maybe you ought to read more. Link to comment
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