The gossip – sharing indiscreet or unverified information or news without the knowledge of the person concerned – is a behavior that human beings have been practicing since ancient times. Originally it had a very specific function: it served to strengthen tiesto share information and define roles within the company. Over time someone’s gossip has turned into a tool to assert or defend one’s own social positionin a way that is not always benevolent. In any case, many studies confirm that it is not just a female practicebut also masculine: the difference is not so much in the quantity, but in the content.
In the first communities, talking about others was not just a pastime but a social mechanism: it was used to understand who we could trust and maintain the cohesion of the group. Through reporting and sharing information, true or presumed, people defined roles, alliances and reputations. For example, in Ancient Rome, the rumors that circulated in the squares or forums influenced the public perception of political figures and noble families.
History and origin of the word gossip
According to theOxford English Dictionary the word “gossip” derives from the Anglo-Saxon term godsibbwhich literally means “relative in God”, that is, a person with whom one shared the bond of baptism, such as a godfather or godmother. During the 17th century the term “gossip” began to be used to denote who participated in intimate conversations or domestic chatter. It therefore took on the connotation of “idle chatter” or “gossip”. Al 1811 dates back to the first occurrence of the word understood in the modern meaning of “unfounded rumors” or “idle chatter”.
In Italythe word officially entered the lexicon around end of the nineteenth century: the Zingarelli dictionary records it for the first time in 1890, a sign of the growing influence of the English language and culture. In the Catholic tradition, however, the corresponding concept was already known and condemned as backbiting or malicious gossipthat is, speaking about others that can damage their reputation or moral dignity.
Difference between gossip and rumor
On an etymological level, a distinction must be made between gossip and gossip:
- Gossipas we said, comes from English godsibb and initially it had a neutral or even positive meaning, since it served to maintain well-defined social dynamics;
- Gossiphas uncertain origins but derives from the word “gossiper”, that is, a person who talks too much about other people’s affairs; the term was born with a negative connotation linked to frivolous chatter.
Although they are often used as synonyms, gossip and gossip have two different nuances. The first indicates something indiscreet and maliciousthe second has a more neutral valuereferring to the circulation of information and social narratives, regardless of their positive or negative content. However, what the two terms have in common is the fact that they both imply the talk about someone in their absencesharing news or opinions about him without him being present to confirm or deny them.
Do men or women gossip more?
The common imagination associates gossip with female world: women who gather in living rooms, share confidences and have a “chat” about others. In part, this image has real historical roots: once the spaces of female sociality were precisely the domestic ones, where the story and the exchange of information built a form of connection and relational power.
The Scientific studies today disprove the idea that women gossip more than men. The difference is not so much in the quantity, but in the content: women gossip more about social relationships and physical appearance, while men gossip more about results, status and performance; it has also been found that female gossip is more positive than its male counterpart. In fact, other research highlights how women derive more pleasure from “lounging” than men, but only in the neutral/informative category and not necessarily in the negative or destructive one.
The positive implications of gossip
An interesting study conducted by the psychologist Eshin Jolly and the neuroscientist Luke Chang of Dartmouth College explored the positive implications of gossip, showing how this behavior – often considered superficial or malicious – can instead have a fundamental role in trust and social cooperation.
In their experiment, the researchers placed groups of participants in a economic gamewhich simulated the dynamics of a small child social group: everyone received a sum of money and could decide whether to keep it for themselves or contribute to a common fund, which was then doubled and redistributed in equal parts to everyone. In some versions of the game, participants could not directly observe the choices of others, but they had the opportunity to communicate privately and exchange impressions and comments on others’ behavior. The results were surprising: groups that could “gossip” showed higher levels of cooperation and greater mutual trust compared to those who could not communicate. Talking about others, in short, allowed participants to share indirect information, to get a more complete idea of the group and to decide accordingly with whom to be in solidarity. Furthermore, gossip promoted social cohesionbecause it allowed the creation of a common ground of perceptions and evaluations, even in the absence of direct observations. In other words, when we cannot know everything about others, as happens in everyday life, it seems that gossip can act as a mechanism of social regulationwhich helps you understand who to trust and how to behave.
This experiment shows how gossip is not just a frivolous pastime or an act of slander: in many cases it is a useful form of communication, which it serves to maintain cooperation and strengthen trust within groups.
Negative gossip and possible psychological causes
Let’s focus now on more negative nuance than gossipthe one that comes close to gossip real. If in its neutral form it can strengthen bonds and foster trust, in its intentionally negative version it can destroy reputations, isolate individuals and cause profound suffering.
On a psychological level, gossip becomes a form of relational aggression and in contexts such as school or work it can generate strong anxious states, shame, loss of self-esteem and social exclusion. The psychological causes underlying this mechanism can be different; among the most common we find:
- Need for personal affirmation: speaking badly about someone can help you feel superior, competent or morally better, strengthening your identity and making your person stand out, to the detriment of others. In a way, in this case it can also help protect your status.
- Desire to belong: sharing a rumor creates a sense of complicity with those who listen, it is a way to feel part of a group and strengthen bonds, even if at the expense of another.
- Envy or competition: gossip often arises from an internal comparison. Belittling the other helps to reduce the distance between what you are and what you would like to be (in fact, it can happen when someone else has precisely those characteristics or recognitions that we would like to have).
- Need for control: knowing (or believing you know) the lives of others is beneficial the illusion of having power over othersto be able to anticipate moves and intentions.
- Frustration or dissatisfaction: those who experience situations of insecurity or personal discomfort can release their tensions by talking about others, transforming discomfort into criticism; in this case, in reality, it is hidden low self-esteem.
- Poor emotional awareness: in some cases, gossip is an automatism, a form of impulsive communication, used to fill social voids, attract attention or to seek contact with others without knowing how to do it authentically.
Although the psychological motivations that drive gossip do not derive, in most cases, from the desire to deliberately discredit others, but more often from need to confirm or strengthen one’s image, however, the consequences remain potentially harmful for those who suffer it.
In any case, what is certain (and neuroscience confirms this) is that listening to gossip, although it may be a practice of dubious moral value, activates the brain reward circuits showing that it has an indisputable rewarding effect: in short, We really like gossip!
