Women don't talk more than men…

…just more often.
…just more nonsense.

…it just feels that way.

…they bitch more.
…but who is listening?

Oh, I could go on, but can’t really risk it with all the women in my life. Jokes apart, the verdict is in: Women don't really talk more.

Pennebaker and colleagues analyzed recorded conversations of 396 university students ages 18-29 in the USA and Mexico, including 210 women and 186 men. The study didn't look at vocabulary or word use, but rather word count via an electronically activated recorder that researchers developed and refined during the study, conducted between 1998 and 2004. He says two-thirds of participants spoke 11,000 to 25,000 words a day, with the average for both sexes about 16,000.

For the new research, study participants spent an average 17 waking hours wearing a lapel microphone attached to a cord linking it to the recording device, generally hidden underneath their clothes. Initial data collection used a tape recorder, then as technology progressed, a digital recorder, and finally a pocket PC no bigger than a cellphone. Participants typically wore the recorders for designated periods that lasted anywhere from two to 10 days. The recorder was programmed to record for 30 seconds every 12.5 minutes, so users didn't know when it was on or off and they could not control.