Posted on 02/21/2013 3:45:13 PM PST by null and void
There's a biological explanation for the reason why women talk more than men. Scientists have discovered a protein that's found in higher concentrations in the brains of women.
You know all the times that men complain about women talking too much? Apparently there's a biological explanation for the reason why women are chattier than men. Scientists have discovered that women possess higher levels of a "language protein" in their brains, which could explain why females are so talkative.
Previous research has shown that women talk almost three times as much as men. In fact, an average woman notches up 20,000 words in a day, which is about 13,000 more than the average man. In addition, women generally speak more quickly and devote more brainpower to speaking. Yet before now, researchers haven't been able to biologically explain why this is the case.
Now, they can. New findings conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and published in The Journal of Neuroscience show that a certain protein may be the culprit.
In 2001, a gene called FOXP2 appeared to be essential for the production of speech. In order to test this protein, the team, led by J. Michael Bowers and Margaret McCarthy, looked at young rat pups. These animals emit cries in the ultrasonic range when separated from their mothers. The team recorded the cries over five minutes in groups of 4-day-old male and female rats that had been separated from their mothers. They found that male pups had up to twice as much of the protein FOXP2 in regions of the brain known to be involved in vocalization--perhaps an unsurprising finding since researchers noted that males made twice as many cries as females.
Next, the researchers wanted to test their findings in humans. They conducted a small study on human children aged four to five years who had died in accidents less than 24 hours previously. They then analyzed the amount of FOXP2 protein in the brains of these children. In the end, the researchers found 30 percent more FOXP2 protein in the brains of the girls.
The research shows that the protein, FOXP2, is a key molecule for communication in mammals. In fact, it could allow researchers to better understand other species that may or may not possess the protein, such as Neanderthals. With this new biological link, scientists could potentially trace back the evolutionary origin of speech.
Somebody needs to get to work on a vaccination against this scourge that has plagued mankind since the dawn of time.
Read where Jack Benny said he never had an argument with his wife that would have led to divorce - murder yes - but not divorce.
GuessI'llgoaheadandleavenowbeforeIgivesomeguysaheadache.
During sex my wife always wants to talk to me. Just the other night she called me from a hotel.
You’re on the newbie ZOT list if you continue this way....;-)
Yes, but if you limit the protein, who knows what else may fill in the void? Homeostasis and all that....
If they counted grunts, nods, and pointing gestures as words, men might catch up to women on word count.
Oh no, a pop quiz and I didn’t study.
Most don’t know to speak only when they can improve on the silence.
One caveman talking to another caveman, points to his female companion and says, “I thought I’d teach her to talk. What harm can it do?”
“....an SLR camera whose shutter speed is SO fast that...”
Dude, do you realize how old that joke must be? I still have my Pentax SLR which I bought in Vietnam in 1971, with a 1/1000th shutter!
If the term SLR applies to current digicams, then the joke’s on me. I use 35mm film to this day.
NEVER underestimate commen sense.
FR is STILL SLOW!.
I wanted to have sex with my wife last night but she wouldn’t stop talking. She kept saying “NO!”
Talking is like sex: one gender needs a reason, one gender just needs a place.
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