Sex and age differences in "theory of mind" across 57 countries using the English version of the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test

In the largest study to date (as far as we know) on the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" Test (Eyes Test)—a performance task of "theory of mind"—we leveraged four unique datasets (total N = 312,739), using the English version of the Eyes Test. We found an on-average female advantage across 57 countries. In line with this is a systematic review of translated (non-English) versions of the Eyes Test identifying an on-average female advantage in eight out of eight different languages. Cross-sectional analyses also showed subtle age differences in Eyes Test scores across the lifespan. We conclude that there is an on-average female advantage across the majority of countries tested. Future research should investigate this in non-English speakers.