Gossip is good for your health!

Gossiping... An activity that many of you have already indulged in, and which may not be as negative as you might think.

So stop feeling guilty! Because gossip is good for your health!

Haaa gossip, this guilty pleasure, as paradoxical as it may be. Because you are never happy to learn that you are at the heart of conversations and at the same time, you delight in these hastily murmured words when you are not the object of them

We are not just talking about criticizing or spreading rumors at will, but simply this habit that we all have of gossiping.

An act most often carried out without any intention of causing harm, as demonstrated by a study published in 2019 in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, conducted on 500 people. At the end of which it was concluded that the majority of gossip was neutral, so not malicious.

But why exactly do you need to gossip?

To create social bonds

People are wary of those who gossip a lot but also of those who don't gossip at all according to another experiment by Dr Jennifer Cole of the University of Manchester.

“Social connection is very important. That’s why gossip is so important. We know we’re invading someone else’s privacy and it’s breaking social rules about politeness. But if people don’t tell, we don’t like them, we become suspicious. What we prefer are people who gossip a little bit.”

And gossip isn't always just negative gossip.

According to another study conducted by 2 American researchers, Robbins and Karan, 65% of our conversations would relate to social topics. Involving self-disclosure of discussions about others

Negative gossip would then actually only represent 14% of daily conversations.

Another study published in 2019 in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science and conducted on nearly 500 people demonstrated that Most of the gossip was neutral, in other words, they were not malicious.

And then, after all, gossiping is part of our human nature.

To survive in society

Dutch researchers found that when people heard positive gossip, they tried to behave in the same way, and negative gossip made them feel better about themselves. Another study found that the more shocked or upset you are by gossip, the more likely you are to learn from it.

Gossip allows for the exchange of information and entertainment and for social integration.

Building relationships fosters a sense of belonging, which leads to trust.

Also according to Dr. Jennifer Cole,

"We know that we are violating someone's privacy and that this violates social and polite rules. But if people don't gossip like that at all, we don't like them, we stay on our guard. We prefer people who gossip a little. […] That's why gossip is important."

Also gossip allows you to reassure yourself by comparing yourself to others, you need to evaluate your skills, your abilities to act on the world. to form opinions through gossip. But also to reaffirm yourself, to value yourself in the eyes of others to the detriment of a third person.

For the health benefits

 In fact, the feeling of belonging aroused by gossip can release endorphins, the "happy hormones" that are released through sex or playing sports.

Gossiping might even keep you alive longer by helping control bad behavior and reduce stress by lowering cortisol levels.

Of course, gossip has its limits. It becomes toxic when it turns into slander, meanness or perverse manipulation or even unfounded rumor.

So treat yourself but sparingly 😉