subject: The Voice of Reason [print this page] The Voice of Reason The Voice of Reason
We tend to be the calmer and more unflappable sex, and research this week has proved the theory. Many drivers prefer to listen to the dulcet tones of a woman, which is why most satellite navigation systems have female voices.
Despite urban myths that men can't read maps, it does seem that women give better instructions and directions. A study has shown that although women tend to be much more reluctant to tell you how long the journey will take; our instructions tend to be spot on. One for the girls"!
Experts were asked to observe 60 people, half men and half women, giving instructions at a petrol station, they found that women were slower in thinking about the task, and gave more detailed instructions, as opposed to their male counterparts who gave quick instructions and didn't clarify.
Linguistics professor Jennifer Ewald, who led the study at St Joseph's University in Philadelphia, said: Men included significantly more mileage estimates than females, but their estimates contained more errors. A direction-giving request is far from simple. The driver's question and the hearer's felt obligation to answer it hinges first on his social or moral sense of what it means to be a good citizen, or, at the very least, a nice helpful person. Once committed he must draw on highly developed cognitive and linguistic abilities to formulate an adequate response.'
If you often get lost, invest in a good sat nav system to help you out, in case there isn't a helpful person around. To save pennies on your Car Insurance, that could be spent elsewhere, try shopping online.
