Are women better at remembering words than men? Scientists have the answer

Researchers analysed studies on verbal fluency and verbal memory, reports Aisha Rimi

The study is the most recent analysis of gender differences in verbal fluency, with the last study in 1988 (Getty Images)

Women are better at finding and remembering words than men, a new study finds.

Researchers from the University of Bergen analysed the combined data of 168 studies on verbal fluency – the ability to generate as many words as possible under certain criteria and time restrictions. They also looked at verbal episodic memory – the ability to recall words you have come across in the past.

“Women are better. The female advantage is consistent across time and life span, but it is also relatively small”, says Marco Hirnstein, professor at The University of Bergen, Norway.