The student news site of St. Teresa's Academy

DartNewsOnline

Breaking News
The student news site of St. Teresa's Academy

DartNewsOnline

The student news site of St. Teresa's Academy

DartNewsOnline

Dart News

Study showss teenage girls talk too much, causing depression and anxiety

It is a common generalization that girls love to talk, and talk a lot. STA students are no exception. Girls are frequently seen chatting away in frees while occasionally scribbling down an algebra problem in between laughs. According to a study done by The New York Times, adolescent girls have been talking too much– so much so that this excessive talking has been associated with emotional troubles such as anxiety and depression. Psychologists have contributed this development to the very instant-communication society we live in with social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace.

‘It is proven that biologically, the processing areas of the brain for language and speech in females have more neurons at the time of birth than do male counterparts,’ STA personal counselor Amanda James said. ‘So basically, inherent differences between the male and female brain explain why girls are naturally more talkative than boys.’

But how much is too much?

James agrees that there is such a thing as talking too much and too often.

‘Girls tend to be extremely open with their friends about all sorts of personal issues,’ James said. ‘From who they have a crush on, to whom they despise, and even what they had for dinner last night or maybe even more personal topics.’

“Dwelling and rehashing issues can keep girls, who are more prone to depression and anxiety than boys, stuck in negative thinking patterns, psychologists say. But they also say it is a mixed picture: friends who co-ruminate tend to be close, and those intimate relationships can build self-esteem.”

-excerpt from The New York Times “Girl Talk Has Its Limits” by Sarah Kershaw

Testing center moderator and parent Becky Flores sees girls chatting away everyday to their friends. Flores believes there is nothing concerning about it.

‘It’s good for girls to talk about whatever they need to,’ Flores said. ‘It’s healthy to get it out, it’s bad for you to keep things that are bothering you in.’

Assistant professor of psychological studies at the University of Missouri Dr. Amanda Rose conducted a similar study and was published in the journal, Developmental Study, in 2007.

‘When girls are talking about these problems, it probably feels good to get that level of support and validation,’ Rose told The Times. ‘But they are not putting two and two together, that actually this excessive talking can make them feel worse.’

According to The Times, because of the constant communication through texting and Facebook, girls are forced to dwell on their problems more than necessary.

Flores believes that texting and Facebook bring about a different kind of talking.

‘That sort of talk, [on Facebook and texting] isn’t really that deep,’ Flores said. ‘It’s just a ‘ËœHey, what’s going on?’ sort of thing. They saw each other three hours ago, so they can’t really have anything new to say, at least that’s how it is with my kids.

James believes that more communication is not always bad.

‘I believe that the development of communicating by text message and social networking websites encourages teens to talk to each other more than in the past,’ James said. ‘The only way it would discourage peers from talking to each other was if teens use these forms of communication for exclusion purposes.’

How long do you talk to your best friend each day outside of school?

Loading...

Sorry, there was an error loading this poll.

According to Rose, teenage girls are more vulnerable to anxiety and depression than boys, because they talk so frequently compared to teenage boys.

‘There are so many stressors in adolescence and a lot are ambiguous,’ Rose said. ‘So things like starting dating and starting serious relationships with boys, concerns about cliques, being popular – these very social stressors, they can be very hard to control.’

Freshmen Scout Distefano believes that there is no limit to the amount of talking a girl should be able to reach.

‘It’s a support system,’ Distefano said. ‘You should be able to talk all you need or want and feel okay about it. This makes me feel like I shouldn’t talk so much, girls should be encouraged not discouraged because we’re more vocal about our feelings.’
Flores is in agreement with Distefano.

‘[The study] goes against everything I believe in,’ Flores said. ‘I believe that talking is good for you as a whole. Good for the mind, especially. I’ve always been taught that talking things out is better and I’m going to stick with that.’

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

Please review the Dart's editorial policy before commenting. Please use your first and last name; anonymous comments will not be published.
All DartNewsOnline Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *