Yahoo Lifestyle Why Boys Bottle It Up And Girls Can’t Keep Quiet
A new study claims men's reticence to chat about their issues begins in childhood and is because they simply can't see the point.
A University of Missouri team found that boys think talking it out is "weird" and a waste of their time, while girls believe discussing their problems will make them feel better. They point to this difference as the reason so many adult relationships founder.
The researchers carried out four studies of 2000 children and teenagers.
Dr Amanda Rose said, "For years, popular psychologists have insisted that boys and men would like to talk about their problems but are held back by fears of embarrassment or appearing weak.
"However, when we asked young people how talking about their problems would make them feel, boys didn't express angst or distress about discussing problems any more than girls.
"Instead, boys' responses suggest that they just don't see talking about problems to be a particularly useful activity."
Dr Rose has previously published a study which found that constantly going back over problems made girls – not boys – more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.
"This is especially true for problems that girls can't control, such as whether a particular girl likes them, or whether they get invited to a party that all the popular kids are attending," Dr Rose said.
What do you think? Is there a difference between how your son and daughter communicate?
RELATED LINKS
