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6 scientific reasons why you should gossip every day

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Three friends on a couch with wine glasses are animatedly and tensely looking at something, illustrating the social intimacy and psychological importance of gossiping and exchanging negative news.

Gossiping: it sounds a bit like a dirty word. As if you are doing something that is not allowed. As if you are immediately a bad person. But according to scientists, it is actually a really good idea to gossip a little every day.

Why do we all do it?


Why do we all gossip and at the same time enjoy it so much? It's very simple. We love negativity. Talking about other people happens according to the same principles as the newspaper brings the news: the focus is on bad news. You can quickly run out of things to say about good news. If you are having drinks with friend A and you talk about your mutual friend B, it won't take an hour to discuss how well she is doing in her life and how beautifully she was styled at the hairdresser. Of course, speaking ill of others is not something to be proud of, but most of the time gossiping isn't either. It's talking together about someone else, and then about their lesser sides or even sneaky things about that other person. We do this in the end to make ourselves feel better. Because friend B may have everything together: a house, a good salary, a beautiful child, a car, and twenty thousand nice dresses in her closet... Still, there is something to say about her drunken state the other night. And well, you can talk about that longer than about her perfect house.

Conversations can be summarized in three topics you can choose from: the world, yourself, or someone else. So we all do it, and that's not strange. It is psychologically supported.

gossip girl fb

Ego stroking


And therefore, here are a number of scientific reasons why you should gossip a little every day:

  • It feels good and makes you feel prettier/smarter/richer/funnier. It is flattering for your ego when you talk about that other person who just can't seem to get it right.
  • Having a piece of news gives a sense of power: you belong to the group and you bring something in.
  • Gossiping makes you closer to that one conversation partner with whom you talk about others.
  • Who you gossip with shows which group you want to belong to: at work and in your friend group.
  • It is a form of emotional release: you gain new energy to make more of your own life.
  • And because you know that others can gossip about you too, you try harder to be a nicer friend or colleague, which is actually only good for you.

Now, as a final tip, before you start drinking wine with your friend: gossip away, but stick to the facts. Don't make up things about people, because then gossip leans more towards bullying. And you want to stay far away from that, because you don't want to hurt a colleague or friend with your chatter on Friday afternoon, right?

Source: VRT