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Speak less to marry a film star

It pays to keep your mouth shut. A recent study said women prefer men who talk less. Bollywood bombshells Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta certainly agree.

Updated on: Jan 6, 2005, 19:33:00 IST
PTI | By , New Delhi
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It pays to keep your mouth shut. A recent study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said women prefer men who talk less. Bollywood bombshells Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta certainly agree.

HT Image
HT Image

Both screen heartthrobs insist that a silent man is more impressive than one who gabbles. "The less a man speaks, the more attentive he is likely to be. Since he doesn't waste his time discussing unnecessary things, he is popular among the opposite sex.

"Talking about his wealth or knowledge doesn't help anyone score points with the ladies; on the contrary a man becomes much less attractive when he has no secrets left to share. I would love to marry someone who doesn't believe in blowing his own trumpet!" says Priyanka.

According to the MIT report, blabbermouths could be a big turn off. "Men are very concerned with the performance but are not actually paying attention to the end result," Phillip Hodson, a fellow of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, was quoted by Newscientist, as saying. Lead researcher Professor Sandy Pentland said the key for a man to impress a woman lay not in the content of a conversation but in 'verbal body language'.

This argument strikes a chord with model-turned-actress Lara Dutta. According to her: "Just as men are intrigued by women who keep to themselves, we are also drawn to strong and silent males. There's an air of mystery about them that is simply irresistible."

"To be honest, I can't think of any woman who would want her husband to blabber without rhyme or reason," she adds.

Miss India World Sayali Bhagat however is not convinced that men who talk less are usually better lovers and are more trustworthy. She says even those with the gift of the gab can make honest and committed life partners. "In fact, if I have to choose between the two, I would definitely go for the man who loves to speak his heart out!" she quips.

Interestingly, her thoughts are echoed by Bollywood hunk Aryan Vaid. According to him: "It's not how much you talk, but how you talk that makes all the difference. As long as one talks sense, time is irrelevant. I have always felt women are attracted to a man with a sense of humour and sensitivity and it doesn't matter if he is talkative or not."

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