Gender and Communication
Men and women often give each other a bad rap. Women talk too much, while men don’t talk enough. But new research finds that context is key. Political scientists used a smartphone-size device called a sociometer to eavesdrop on conversations among a total of 133 participants, separated into two group settings. They found that in a laid-back lunchtime atmosphere, men chatted just as much as women; in a cooperative, task-driven environment, women won out – but only in small groups. Men out-talked their female peers in groups of six or more in cooperative environments. It seems chatty Charleys can keep up just fine with chatty Cathys.