Is Gossip Good For Your Health?

It is said that women gossip more than men do. Perhaps they only do it better. Men just call it “networking.” Some experts say that the spreading of gossip may actually be healthy for you.

(From sheknows.com)

Gossip isn’t all bad
Swapping salacious stories can be thrilling, but can also leave behind a guilty conscience. But what if some of your rumor remorse could be alleviated? Recent studies suggest that under certain circumstances, gossip can be beneficial – even healthy. And while this research doesn’t necessarily excuse spreading the sordid details of a friend’s love life, it does ease a bit of the shame that accompanies a Perez Hilton addiction.

Gossip defined
The very notion of gossip can be tricky to define. How does a snarky comment about a coworker compare to a random celebrity-centered rant? In a recent issue of Scientific American Mind, Professor Frank T. McAndrew offered this widely accepted definition: “the practice [of gossip] involves talk about people who are not present and this talk is relaxed, informal and entertaining. Typically, the topic of conversation also concerns information that we can make moral judgments about.”

Gossip actually a sign of evolution
Why exactly do all humans seem to have such a lust for gossip? Blame it on our ancestors. According to McAndrew, our predecessors lived in intimate groups in which members had to rely on each other, but also engage in competition for limited resources. Those who had the savvy to gather information about their fellow group members achieved more success and passed their knowledge-seeking genes on to subsequent generations. Hence, our desire to get the scoop on friends, colleagues and enemies may be innate.

Gossip ironically is moralistic in nature
McAndrew, along with other researchers believes that when controlled, gossip can be a major asset to humans. Individuals not only forge bonds by sharing information, but they effectively maintain the norms and tenets of their group culture. When one person is the target of gossip, the group quickly identifies him or her as a violator of its standards. After all, by McAndrew’s definition, gossip is usually characterized by information we can evaluate on a moral level. So by outing those who defy social ethics, the group as a whole can prosper and thrive.

When gossip isn’t good
So does this mean distributing photocopies of your rival’s diary is a clever way to climb the social ladder? Not exactly. Because our modern society no longer deals with the perils of prehistoric civilization, today’s information grapevine can be quite damaging. Although we no longer rely on the primitive functions of gossip to inform and protect our social groups, we continue to engage in it. In his article, McAndrew asserts that “in its rawest form [gossip] is a strategy used by individuals to further their own reputations and selfish interests at the expense of others.”

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