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    1. Life

    Women gossip for five hours a day

    Women love nothing more than a good gossip, but new research suggests the average female chats for a total of 298 minutes every day

    By Hannah Thomas
    Published 15 August 2011 In Features

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    Gossiping
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    (Image credit: Rex Features)
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    Women love nothing more than a good gossip, but new research suggests the average female chats for a total of 298 minutes every day

    It’s common knowledge that women love to talk, but did you know that the typical woman spends a third of her day discussing diet, sex and other people’s problems?

    A new report has found that women spend approximately 24 minutes a day discussing their weight, diets and dress size, and 33 per cent of women say they spend a good chunk of their day discussing what they will eat for lunch.

    ‘Women are renowned for their ability to chat and men are fascinated by what they find to talk about when they get together,’ says Steve Barton, spokesman for First Cape who commissioned the study.

    Top of women’s gossip topics are shopping, diet, exercise and holidays. Lunch came in at number six, closely followed by other people’s relationships, children and cosmetic surgery. Complaining about their partner was second from bottom.

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    ‘I never would have guessed food would be such a hot topic,’ says Mr Barton. ‘And it’s really nice to see that most women are happy to have a quick chat with complete strangers.’

    Gossiping, however, also comes with it’s flaws as 36 per cent of women say they cannot be trusted to keep a friend’s secret and that they regularly tell their partner things they are told in confidence.

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