Bunbury ranked in top 10 fastest speaking cities as research suggests talking faster makes brain healthier

Bunbury has ranked as one of the fastest talking Australian cities, with new research suggesting quicker talking speeds may lead to healthier brain function later in life. Online language-learning marketplace Preply recently held a study to measure the average speed of which Australians talk and what places in the nation were home to the fastest and slowest talkers. They examined a cross-section of highly populated cities throughout the country and analysed the transcripts of videos from local radio stations and podcasts to calculate the average words said per minute for each city. The average rate of speech among Australian cities is 161 words per minute, but Bunbury ranked seventh fastest in the country with an average speed of 169 words per minute. Preply language expert Sylvia Johnson said our stunning coffee may be to blame for our rapid speech. “Although the city of Bunbury isn’t usually typecast as fast-paced, our data tells a different story,” she said. “Whether it’s the excited music fans on their way to Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre or the caffeinated coffee drinkers milling around Victoria Street, there’s something in the water in Bunbury that’s causing its residents to converse at an above-average pace.” The Australian city with the fastest average speed was Hobart at 194 words per minute, while Cairns had the country’s slowest speakers at 122 words per minute. Perth ranked third fastest in the country at 174 words per minute, while Geraldton was revealed as the fourth slowest at 145 words per minute. Research from the University of Toronto and Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care suggests people who talk fast could have better brain health as they get older. The study highlighted the significance of speech speed as a potential indicator of brain health in old age.