Men only listen to their partners for six minutes - but 25 minutes if it's their pals - study

It is something women have long suspected - when it comes to the art of conversation, females definitely are the stronger sex.

Men have low attention spans, except when talking to their friends either about sport or women, and more than half of guys describe themselves as bad listeners, according to a new study.

The research of 2,000 men found they switch off after just six minutes of chatting with their other half, but regularly pay attention for an entire 15 minutes when discussing football or their sex lives with mates.

But men are not the only ones whose partners have cause for complaint. The report also revealed women listen longer and harder when in conversation with friends than they do with their men.

The research found sport was the most popular topic for more than half the men studied, followed by chats on films and sex.

Women's favourite topic of conversation with friends was relationships - with 55 per cent of those studied naming it as their go-to theme.

Results also proved the worst time to expect a man's attention is while they are watching sport, channel flicking or playing an app.

And the average man has four occasions each week where he isn't listening to a partner when he should be.

Men are most likely to switch off from a conversation if the topic is someone they don't know, followed by chat about workmates, celebrities or clothes.

And chaps are similarly unenthused when talk turns to things their partner has seen on Facebook, horoscopes or what they ate for lunch that day.

A sneaky 55 per cent of women say they regularly test their partner to double check he's listening.

More than a third said the most common sign their partner isn't listening is when they take far too long to respond to a question, followed by a flurry of blank or glazed expressions. More than a quarter said it's noticeable when they can't take their eyes off their phone, tablet or the TV.

More than a fifth of men admit they often browse the web or watch sport while on the phone to their partner.


A spokeswoman for Ladbrokes, which carried out the research, said: 'It's natural that the two genders will find different things interesting and certain topics appeal more than others.

'Men are obsessed with sport, gadgets and technology, and often these combine when trying to check scores, place bets or get the latest updates.

'Of course, this regularly means they aren't always their most responsive.

'As with anything, getting that balance between showing effort towards a partner and allowing time for following your passions is important.'



Both sexes admitted they were more likely to lie or hold back information from their partner than from their best friend.


mailonline