Is gossip all bad? Maybe there is a real purpose behind the bickering about others, despite the nastiness sometimes involved. This is apparently the case according to some new research from the University of Ottawa.
Adam Davis is the lead author behind a study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science. He has linked gossip with intrasexual competitiveness. Davis concludes that gossiping is a highly evolved social skill and competitive tactic related to men's and women's preferences for each other.
It seems women are likely to gossip about other women rivals -- to badmouth and engage in rumor-mongering -- in order to compete for a man's attention. This tends to take the form of gossiping about other women's appearance. Men also engage in gossip, but talk about things related to their level of wealth and their physical performance that they think puts them above other men in competing for women.
Other scholars agree that gossip is a way for people to learn more about others, as well as enforce group norms. This allows people to learn about their rivals they are competing with and question the reputations others have about them. If you can point out how another rival doesn't conform to the social expectations, then it can knock their social standing down and make them appear less romantically or sexually desirable.
Davis has demonstrated the evolutionary advantage of gossiping in a study involving 209 heterosexual students between 17 and 30 years old. Questions determined how people felt about members of their own sex, how it related to attract the attention of potential mates, the likelihood to gossip about others, the social value of such gossip, and if it's OK to talk about others behind their backs.
Those who had a sense of being more competitive with their own sex had greater tendencies to gossip and were more comfortable doing so. As might be expected, women have a greater tendency to gossip than men, enjoyed it more, and saw greater value in engaging in such banter to improve their ability to find a mate. Honing the skill of gossip is important more many women.
Despite how much women may prefer to gossip than men, it's not simply a gender stereotype or negative characterization of female behavior as it serves a purpose in mate competition. In that way, negative gossip is a positive in terms of evolutionary survival. Davis concludes that rather than seeing gossip as a character flaw, it should be looked upon as an evolved social skill that is "essential for interpersonal relationships".
I don't view negative superficial gossip to out-compete a rival mate as "positive" really (apart from a simplistic evolutionary survival tactic). But one form of gossip that I definitely view as a positive, is the necessity to talk about the immoral behavior of others and ourselves in order for change for the better to come about.
What do you think about gossip?
Do you see it as a positive, negative, or both depending on how it's used?
Do you like to gossip?
Let me know what you think ;)
Thank you for your time and attention. Peace.
It’s human nature , for both genders . No matter how much we try , we can’t help it . People talk , shit happens
It's a development from trying to compete with others, yes, but we can overcome petty natural tendencies. This is how we can overcome cognitive biases, by learning and being aware they are there, and how they function, then we can prevent ourselves from falling into traps of our own making ;)
For me, it seems that people like to gossip to help make themselves feel better. Why was Jerry Springer and other crap shows so popular? As screwed up as I am, at least I’m not as bad as that!! 😂😂😂
Yes, indeed, that is the motivation for many, unfortunately...
There was an interesting quote from the show Mr Roboto that went something like, "Everything is about sex, except sex, which is about power."
That seems to correlate pretty well with what this study says.
What I find interesting about the whole sexual harassment, sexual assault furor that's erupted in Murica recently is the fact that nobody seems to be aware of the fact that it's not about sex, it's about power.
I can speak from the viewpoint of decades in the workplace and say that the people who abuse their power don't just do it to members of the opposite sex and it's not always sexual in nature.
Making you work late at the last minute or having you come in on the weekend or any number of bullshit tasks assigned to "underlings" is just a different manifestation of the same kind of behavior.
Well it's still about sex, pleasure drives the sexual assault, not merely power over another. Without pleasure in sex, there likely would not be sexual assaults simply for the motivation to have power over another. Living for pleasure as the importance in life, is a lower consciousness modality of living where higher living potential is ignored in favor of various forms of gratification.
I would respond that sometimes sex is about sex, period. And that the causation probably runs this way: power is a means to obtain sex -- c.f., historical examples of unbridled power like Genghis Khan, who had up to 500 wives. This is not to say that's laudable, but rather to understand a point: given lots of power, men have more opportunities for sex. Which is also not to say women might be interested in the same thing, but evidence suggests they're less likely to do so. Climbing a dominance hierarchy is tough, and making it to the top is a signal -- evolutionarily, women can outsource a portion of the process of selecting a mate to outcomes determined by dominance hierarchies.
I like your point about the nature of power abuse in the workplace -- this is not always a gendered or sexually-based phenomenon, and sometimes takes a sadistic tenor.
Overall the study is great, though perhaps missing a useful connection with the evolutionary bases of the behavior observed. For example, that verbal sparring (of which gossip is a type) can be a replacement for physical conflict, and that women, being less muscular and smaller, must gossip as a form of survival. Having a lot of bigger and stronger men around means you've got to be clever.
And, sadly, our culture is full of people seeking instant gratification.
Funny: it seems that those injunctions aiming to throttle jealously - "don't gossip", "don't compare yourself to others", etc., also blunt the competitive urge.
When the focus is on survival, it's a lower consciousness modality, where one looks out for oneself and disregards cooperative means of living that are more in line with consideration for others as well as oneself. The merits of one's character and more positive traits should be viewed as more favorable, as opposed to simply badmouthing or lying about a rival in order to gain the attention of a man. Men can choose to see through such lower consciousness expressions and look disfavorably upon those who play such a manipulative game. The same for women, they can look past simple muscle and wealth status to a higher minded man with more a virtuous or moral character.
@krnel much thanks for deciphering ins and outs of a habit regarded often as a product of specific milieu. Indeed, Davis’s study opens new vistas by reforming the traditional notions attached to gossip-making. To me, as an interpersonal skill that is under persistent stream of evolution, gossip has much broader a range of factors. Admittedly, realizing a competitive edge overshadows almost every instance of what is commonly seen as bragging, tying it to the quest for mate-win remains debatable as competition spans over much wider landscape in human life. Sports, war, and politics among others are few like instances.
Looking forward to hear more on it from your side
Good observation of how it carries over into sports, war and politics as a tool to bring others down and possibly "win" in competition ;)
I don't much like gossip because I'm generally shy whenever around others and avoid gossip. This is my 1st platform on which I'm trying to interact with others.
If you do positive gossips, sure it will make others like you, moreover it will lift your own spirit. On the other hand, negative gossips will make others hate you.
Indeed, it's telling of a persons state of mind what they choose to say about others when it's not really relevant to important things in the world, but merely about their own attempt to elevate themselves by comparison.
I hate gossip and I see it as something negative and I do not feel the need to see faults in others, since we all have.
Whoever does gossips feels insecure, and is envious of the other person.
A person who is emotionally balanced does not need to speak ill of others. But someone who is feeling underneath may be able to feel (in a delusional way) a little better by speaking ill of another.
Indeed :)
For me I think gossiping is part and parcel of human DNA, sometimes it bridges the gap of boredom. Well, there's nothing we can do about it for now. Great article! Thanks @krnel
Indeed, but there are more interesting and important topics one can discuss to bridge boredom that benefit us beyond mere survival thinking ;)
Gossip is a community glue. No matter if it is a bad or a good word, it's a channel of information about many things, including gossiper himself.
Yes, it's telling of the state of consciousness of the one who chooses to engage in those topics to badmouth others in order to try to elevate themselves.
Gossip has a positive effect like you share a personal background of certain person in good way but if your statement can cause damage to a person's reputation then that's negative side.Maybe depends the situation :)
Yup, it depends on the situation ;)
All gosip the real situation in somebody life...
Hi @krnel,
An interesting conclusion by Davis. Gossip could be compared to negative corporate marketing, like the everlasting battle between Pepsi and Coca Cola.
I don't like to gossip, but I must admit that I love hearing gossip, as it can be interesting and informative about the people around us. I would say that it is a positive thing if used moderately.
I see that you're writing about some very interesting topics, I'm all about psychology and social norms, I'll follow you! 😊
Have a wonderful day,
@lifenbeauty
Gossip helps us maintain social morality. It allows us to preemptively consider the repercussions of our actions, as seen through the eyes of others.
Gossip helps us develop empathy towards the ways others feel, because we get to see and hear their reactions to situations, without being the instigator of said feelings.
Gossip, when not just about superficial qualities, shows us the boundaries of other people.
Gossip gives us an insight to the personality of the speaker.
Gossip can have detrimental effects, but there is a positive reason humans do it.
Gossip is addictive, no way around it. I never gossip... :)