According to a study by CogniFit, a New York-based company that develops brain fitness software, men outperform women at packing a suitcase.
The research involved participants from the United States and Europe and evaluated 14 cognitive skills relevant to packing, including contextualized memory, hand-eye coordination, inhibition, planning, divided attention, shifting, updating, working memory, visual perception, and short-term memory.
Results indicate that the common assumption that women are better at packing is not supported by the data. On average, men scored 5.7 percent higher than women across the cognitive skills measured for packing tasks.
Among the countries studied, Germany recorded the strongest cognitive performance across age groups. Spain and England ranked ahead of the United States, which placed fourth. The highest overall skill levels appeared in the youngest cohort, ages 18–24.
Men particularly outperformed women in planning the packing process. This does not necessarily mean men begin planning earlier; rather, they demonstrated greater efficiency in planning regardless of age. The study suggests this may stem from men being more selective and focused on the items they need for a trip, while women more often prepare for potential “what-if” scenarios.