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Research Determines Women Can Keep a Secret For 47 Hours 72

A study of 3,000 women aged 18-65 has found that the average woman cannot keep a secret for longer than 47 hours. The study also found that four out of ten admitted that they were unable to keep a secret, no matter how personal or private. Michael Cox, UK Director of Wines of Chile, which commissioned the research, said, "It's official - women can't keep secrets. We were really keen to find out with this survey how many secrets people are told. What we didn't bank on was how quickly these are passed on by those we confide in. No matter how precious the piece of information, it's often out in the public domain within 48 hours."

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Research Determines Women Can Keep a Secret For 47 Hours

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  • That sucks! (Score:4, Funny)

    by VeNoM0619 ( 1058216 ) on Friday September 18, 2009 @01:17PM (#29468491)
    That sucks! Now everyone will know about my Pokemon collection in 2 days!
  • by CorporateSuit ( 1319461 ) on Friday September 18, 2009 @02:35PM (#29469581)
    Television, Telephone, Tell a woman.
  • Sexism at its finest (Score:3, Informative)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 18, 2009 @06:10PM (#29472091)

    No, but really, every single woman I've ever know does the exact same thing upon hearing a secret:

    1.) Hear secret and promise Friend #1 she won't tell anyone.
    2.) Deliberately jump into a conversation with Acquaintance #1 and bring up something trivial and unrelated. This step is important. If it doesn't happen, it wasn't really a secret.
    3.) Promptly call Friend #2 and in a hushed but still CLEARLY audible voice, tell the secret.
    4.) Commence calling everyone she knows in order of familiarity. With each new person in on it, talk becomes less quiet and forbidden.
    5.) Inevitably hears the secret back from someone else.
    6.) Speak about secret openly to everyone until it gets old.

    • Hey I'm offended by this remark. One of my friends told me this great secret about 2 days ago on how she is cheating on her husband with the Cowboy Cheerleaders (all of them) and I haven't told a soul.

  • Who wins (Score:2, Insightful)

    It would be more relevant if they included men in this study. I've found both sexes to be untrustworthy. Normal, socialized humans appear to have an instinct for being immoral.

    • Re:Who wins (Score:5, Funny)

      by Linuxmonger ( 921470 ) on Saturday September 19, 2009 @11:11PM (#29480681) Homepage
      If everyone is doing a thing, it is not immoral, it is natural, like Pirate Bay.
      • If everyone is doing a thing, it is not immoral, it is natural, like Pirate Bay.

        I guess I'm unnatural. I suppose that's why people often say I'm crazy. Though I don't know how a psychiatrist will be able to make me lie, cheat and steal, so I never even considered going to one.

        • Re:Who wins (Score:4, Insightful)

          by Kokuyo ( 549451 ) on Sunday September 20, 2009 @07:33AM (#29482177) Journal

          We usually call people who don't lie and cheat socially inept. There is a 'too honest' if you want to get along with your peers.

          Now I'm not saying that this is not a very damning situation for a race to be in, but there you have it.

          • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

            We usually call people who don't lie and cheat socially inept.

            Yes I've been called "socially inept" as well. I've also been called a "loser", amongst other things.

            There is a 'too honest' if you want to get along with your peers.

            Yeah, I've noticed that people who don't back-stab, peer pressure each other to demonize scape goats to promote social cohesion often end up being demonized themselves when they end up on the news (like Columbine and Virgina tech). Too bad people spend too much time defending their own immorality instead of treating people with respect so that these massacres would not need to occur.

            • Yeah, I've noticed that people who don't back-stab, peer pressure each other to demonize scape goats to promote social cohesion often end up being demonized themselves when they end up on the news (like Columbine and Virgina tech).

              If someone is narcisistic enough to kill tens of people in order to prove how mistreated they are by society, it is unlikely that this is the first antisocial thing they've done.

              It is quite possible to become popular by treating people well, and the best way to have people hate yo

              • If someone is narcisistic enough to kill tens of people in order to prove how mistreated they are by society, it is unlikely that this is the first antisocial thing they've done.

                It is quite possible to become popular by treating people well, and the best way to have people hate you is to mistreat them. Arseholes generally do not have many friends and a lot of people without many friends are arseholes.

                If you would consider killing a bunch of people to prove that you are miserable, you are a terrible person and this is why nobody else wants to be your friend, nothing about clique politics.

                You parrot the attitudes that you here off the news and from your "friends". People obviously don't kill just because they are an "asshole". It's obvious from the people who take the time to actually study these things and look more deeply into the circumstances that they were actively demonized and scapegoated by people like you, and encouraged to be the way they were. Even after columbine the bullies said they did the right thing. Yes, people like you will always blame their victims.

                And as for "friends",

                • Stop blaming the victims for trying to make their life better. You neoconservatives are such hypocrites; you are pro-war, pro-death penalty, pro-gun, and yet you get upset when your victims try to balance the playing field. You are narcissistic, and your response proves my point.

                  I don't think that word means what you think it means.

                  Let's have some fun. You try to define it the way you thought it was interpreted, and then I'll post the dictionary definition, and then we can see how they compare. Do it, it'll be entertaining.

                  • neoconservatives

                    I generally don't comment on things that I don't know about. As a Loser, I've spent way too much time in the Library and on the Internet researching, studying, and analyzing political and social systems, and the psychology of the people who inhabit them. What I've noticed is that most neoconservatives don't call themselves neoconservatives but "center" or "center-right" conservatives. I don't think you understand the psychology of a neoconservative or the behavioral aspects of their beliefs systems.

                    • You completely ignored what I said, but whatever.

                      What I've noticed is that most neoconservatives don't call themselves neoconservatives but "center" or "center-right" conservatives.

                      And... what's wrong with that?

                      Anyway, "center" or "center-right" conservatives (neoconservatives) aren't generally the ones who are adamantly pro-war, pro-death penalty, pro-gun, and so on. What the hell are you going off on? The people you're berating aren't the same people you're naming.

                    • Anyway, "center" or "center-right" conservatives (neoconservatives) aren't generally the ones who are adamantly pro-war, pro-death penalty, pro-gun, and so on.

                      Just a quick reference to the Wikipedia (et al) shows that neoconservatives supported Ronald Reagan and his ilk.

                      I'm not really interested in arguing over definitions. Like most or all labels (especially of the political kind) the terms have their vagaries [ipsnews.net][1] of definition [google.com] and usage. If I knew a of better term for what I describe, then I would use it.

                      End notes:
                      1. With all the attention paid to neo-conservatives in the global media today, one would think that a standard definition of the term would exist. Y

                    • Meh. I just think most people use the word because it sounds like "neo-Nazi" and they think it's a term whereby to slur conservatives. In reality, it just means "new conservative", and they aren't really all that conservative, which is why I don't like seeing traditional conservatism incorrectly labeled so.

                • actively demonized and scapegoated by people like you, and encouraged to be the way they were.

                  I really doubt it, I spent the majority of my highschool lunchtimes in the computer lab because I was scared to go out and socialise. But that was my problem, not everyone else's. But I like how you picture me in your head, a toned, sexy Lothario, I bet the guy you picture me as gets laid much more often than I do.

                  Stop blaming the victims for trying to make their life better. You neoconservatives are such hypocrite

                  • I really doubt it

                    Since I don't lie, you must be wrong. Though I'll leave you with one reference at least [uwaterloo.ca]. There's at least one scientist (that I referenced) who doesn't believe in the "defective character" explanation that people like yourself and the vast majority of the media mythologize. Usually most people only here the journalism of these issues.

                    Wow, just wow, I have never had my political beliefs summed up so succinctly and so badly.

                    Granted, there are assumptions, perhaps you don't fit the stereotype. Maybe some parts of you do...

                    However if you believe that anyone has the right to indiscriminately kill...

                    No, I'm not talking about rights, and I'm not (even) talking about indiscrimi

              • by denobug ( 753200 )

                Arseholes generally do not have many friends and a lot of people without many friends are arseholes.

                Assholes are being labeled as such because they attempt to make a point unskillfully with ill regard to the immediate feelings of others. The socialite knows how to mistreat people skillfully so they it is not obvious to the general audience, except the one who they did it on. Heck, the best even make their victims feel pretty good at the moment until the damage is done!

                Also the socially skilled mistreat others to promote themselves. The assholes are simply trying to make a point they considered impor

          • by J4 ( 449 )

            Too true, but are liars and cheater really peers then?
            Just saying

    • More likely immorality is innately human and all the Mother Teresas of the world are mutants.
    • It would be more relevant if they included men in this study. I've found both sexes to be untrustworthy. Normal, socialized humans appear to have an instinct for being immoral.

      Dude if you're trying to score points with women, remember this is /. there are none.

    • by v1 ( 525388 )

      I'd also be interested to know who they spilled the secrets to. Wanna bet, their girlfriends 98% of the time?

      No wonder men complain that women don't tell them how they feel etc. They're too busy dishing the dirt over the backyard fence to have time for any other communications.

  • Troll science? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by straponego ( 521991 ) on Saturday September 19, 2009 @04:09AM (#29474975)

    The survey was commissioned by the Wines of Chile? One wonders how rigorous this study was, especially given they don't mention asking the obvious alternative group, men. It sounds almost like an Onion article.

    It does match my experience, but in general men aren't that great at secrets either-- we just don't find most gossip as interesting. I, for one, forget most of it almost as fast as my gf tells me... Still: never tell a girl something you don't want people talking about the next day. Women are a lot like Facebook, in a way... you don't get to complain about them doing what they do.

  • --And on the person the 'secret' is being kept from.

    It's more accurate to think of information as a form of power. Manipulative women are very good at doling out and/or withholding power accordingly among allies and enemies. This is why astrology is so powerful. If you know any Snake women, (Asian astrology, based on Jupiter), then laugh all you want, but keep an eye out because that girl has it built into her genes to destroy and manipulate people out of fear and/or wicked amusement.

    -FL

    • This is why astrology is so powerful. If you know any Snake women, (Asian astrology, based on Jupiter), then laugh all you want, but keep an eye out because that girl has it built into her genes to

      Wow. You can't buy this level of stupidity. It's a moment which should be truly treasured.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by brainfsck ( 1078697 )

      This is why astrology is so powerful.

      Obligatory Maddox link [thebestpag...iverse.net].

  • The sky is blue and the pope's a Catholic. More at 11
  • The best way to keep a secret is .. to forget it :-)
  • by Anonymous Coward
    Everyone knows that women can't keep secrets for any longer than 47 seconds, let alone 47 hours...
  • Why tell a secret (Score:3, Interesting)

    by EmNote ( 1644465 ) on Friday September 25, 2009 @05:20PM (#29544189)
    Women tell secrets either because they like the feeling of power or authority when spilling information or because of the response they get from the people they tell, a feeling of importance and acceptance.
    • > Women tell secrets either because they like the feeling of power or
      > authority when spilling information or because of the response they get from
      > the people they tell, a feeling of importance and acceptance.

      Well, that'd be the interpretation from a male's perspective. AFAIK women
      share secrets not necessarily to gain feelings of importance for themselves,
      but for the friend they tell the secret to. As in: You are SO important to me
      and I value our friendship SO much, that I even tell you that stuff

  • Yeah, well I wonder
  • What kind of BS "research" is this? Why not simply test lots of, uhm, people... and *then* look if you can find any interesting correlations between sex, income, whatever?

    If you think "males, contrary to women, keep secrets", you live in lala land.

    • If you think "males, contrary to women, keep secrets", you live in lala land.

      This was supposed to be a secret. :(

  • What's the length of time that men can keep secrets? What a rubbish piece of research: "all women are the same". Mind you I am guessing that "Wines of Chile" is not exactly up there with the major universities or research councils in terms of its peer-reviewed journal publishing record.

I have hardly ever known a mathematician who was capable of reasoning. -- Plato

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