Women can keep secrets for just 47 hours

Be careful who you tell your innermost thoughts to at work, especially if your confidante is female. According to a new study, the average woman can't keep a secret for more than 47 hours.

UK researchers surveyed 3,000 women aged 18 to 65 and found that four in 10 couldn't keep a secret, no matter how personal or embarrassing. About 45 percent said they blurt out secrets just to get them off their chest, but most then feel guilty. More than half blamed alcohol for revealing the secrets. The women said they likely told the secrets to their husband, boyfriend, mother, or best friend.

Still, 83 percent of women believe they are completely trustworthy, and three in four claim they would never betray a friend's confidence. The study also found that women hear at least three pieces of gossip a week. But according to Michael Cox, UK director of Wines of Chile, which commissioned the research, the quantity of secrets shared wasn't as surprising as the time women kept them. “We were really keen to find out with this survey how many secrets people are told,” he says. “What we didn't bank on was how quickly these are passed on by those we confide in.”

Fortunately, 27 percent of women who were told secrets forgot the information the following day. Still, maybe it's best to keep juicy gossip to yourself.