Never too late to stop the habit

The good news, is that bad gossiping, like any other negative behaviour, can be unlearnt. To begin with, awareness can be created through social media platforms and informative articles on the topic. “If people do not respond to negative gossip and actively disengage from it by saying things like, “I do not feel comfortable with the direction this conversation is taking”, or walking away from gossip and not spreading the rumour, the gossip will stop with them,” said Dr Ottilia Brown, clinical psychologist. He advises people to stop engaging in harmful gossip, and to either be silent or speak up against it.

For many gossipers, the harmful effects of ‘bad’ gossip are not always apparent to them.

The person being gossiped about can be harmed emotionally and socially if the outcome of the gossip is to spread negative private information that could harm their reputation and affect their social standing or worse result in the loss of something.

Dr Brown pointed out that the outcomes of bad gossip for the gossiper are overwhelmingly negative. “People may be eager to listen to [loose talk] but are not likely to trust the individual. The gossiper becomes known as someone who breaks promises and who does not have integrity with regard to safeguarding private information,” he added.

Such people are often immature, enjoy exaggerating often to elevate themselves in some way, and may come across as envious of others. “Their loyalty may be questionable, and they have deep-seated feelings of insecurity, thus needing to focus on the misfortune of others in order to feel better about themselves,” added Dr Brown.