Sexes use metaphors differently

University of Western Ontario psychologist Albert Katz tells Ann McIlroy of Canada's Globe and Mail that women avoid metaphors with strangers.

... Dr. Katz is interested in non-literal language, such as sarcasm, irony or metaphors, because the brain has to process that someone is saying something that they don't mean. His work, funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, sheds light on the subtle differences in the way men and women use and interpret language.

Men sprinkle metaphors -- "this car is a lemon," "this marriage is on the rocks" -- more liberally in their conversations than women do, says Dr. Katz.

He recently completed a study on metaphor use with his graduate student at Western, Karen Hussey. They studied the on-line conversations of student volunteers.

Their theory is that men are more likely to take the risk of being misunderstood than are women. Women, it turns out, use more metaphors when they are among friends than when they are talking to strangers. This suggests that when they are comfortable, among people they trust, women take the risk of saying something that may be misconstrued. Men use metaphors with both strangers and friends...


Their theory is that men are more likely to take the risk of being misunderstood than are women. Women, it turns out, use more metaphors when they are among friends than when they are talking to strangers. This suggests that when they are comfortable, among people they trust, women take the risk of saying something that may be misconstrued. Men use metaphors with both strangers and friends.