Do women talk more than men? The answer may surprise you

Women are often believed to be more talkative than men, but scientific studies have challenged this assumption. A landmark 2007 study by researchers at the University of Arizona found that men and women spoke nearly the same number of words per day—about 16,000.

However, a recent and larger follow-up study provides a more complex picture, suggesting that women may indeed be the chattier gender, but only during specific life stages.

Many cultures perpetuate the stereotype that women talk more than men. Proverbs from different parts of the world reinforce this belief. These include:

These, and similar popular sayings, suggest that a widespread and culturally deeply engrained stereotype exists that women are more talkative than men (especially when thinking of gender as binary). But does scientific evidence support these long-held beliefs?

In 2007, psychologist Matthias Mehl and his team tested this assumption by analyzing speech data from 500 men and women. Each participant wore a portable recording device called the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), which captured snippets of conversation throughout the day.

The researchers estimated the number of words spoken per person daily and found no significant gender difference. Their findings, published in Science, challenged traditional stereotypes and gained national attention.

However, critics pointed out limitations in the study. Most participants were college students living in Austin, Texas, and the sample size was relatively small. These factors raised questions about whether the findings applied more broadly. To address these concerns, Mehl and his colleagues launched a larger and more diverse study.

In the recent study published in the journal APA PsycNet, researchers analyzed over 630,000 audio recordings collected from 22 separate studies across four countries. The study included 2,197 participants ranging in age from 10 to 94, making it five times larger than the original study.

The results revealed that overall, women spoke an average of 13,349 words per day, while men spoke 11,950—a difference of about 1,000 words. However, individual differences were substantial, with some participants speaking fewer than 100 words a day and others exceeding 120,000.

Most notably, a significant gender difference emerged in early and middle adulthood—ages 25 to 64. Women in this age group spoke, on average, 3,275 more words per day than men. In contrast, adolescent (10 to 17), emerging adult (18 to 24), and older adult (65 and up) participants showed little to no gender difference in word count.

"There is a strong cross-cultural assumption that women talk a lot more than men," said Colin Tidwell, co-lead author of the study and a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. "We wanted to see whether or not this assumption holds when empirically tested."

The researchers can only speculate about the reasons behind the speech difference observed in early and middle adulthood. One possibility is that these years are often associated with child-rearing, and women—who frequently take on caregiving roles—may engage in more verbal communication with children and family members.

"Gender-linked differences in child-rearing and family care are one possibility that could account for this difference," said Mehl, the study’s senior author and a psychology professor at the University of Arizona.

If biological factors such as hormones played a major role, researchers expected to see a significant gender difference among emerging adults as well. However, no such pattern emerged. Similarly, if social changes were the primary influence, the gender difference should have gradually increased in older participants, but that was not the case either.

This suggests that the observed difference in speech patterns during early and middle adulthood may be linked to life roles rather than inherent biological or generational traits.

Beyond gender differences, the study uncovered another striking trend: people are speaking less than they used to. Between 2005 and 2018, the average daily word count dropped from around 16,000 to 13,000—a decline of roughly 300 words per year.

"We did a full analysis looking at what year the data were collected and found that, indeed, 300 spoken words on average per year go missing," said study co-lead author Valeria Pfeifer, a postdoctoral researcher in psychology.

The researchers suspect this decline may be linked to the rise of digital communication. With more people texting, using social media, and engaging in virtual interactions, face-to-face conversation might be decreasing.

While this shift may seem minor, it raises important questions about the impact of reduced verbal interaction on social connections and mental health. Studies have shown that regular social engagement is as vital to well-being as exercise and sleep.

To better understand the role of talkativeness in health, Mehl is working on a new tool called the "SocialBit," similar to a Fitbit. Instead of tracking steps or heart rate, this device will measure how much time people spend conversing daily—without recording content.

"I'm fascinated by the idea that we know how much we need to sleep, we know how much we need to exercise, and people are wearing Fitbits all the time, but we have no idea how much we're supposed to socialize," Mehl said. "The evidence is very strong that socializing is linked to health, at least to the same extent as physical activity and sleep are. It’s just another health behavior."

While science continues to explore the complexities of human communication, one thing is clear: talking, like many aspects of life, is influenced by both personal and societal factors. Whether you’re naturally chatty or reserved, the role of conversation in daily life remains a crucial part of human connection.

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