Why women spread gossip about rivals

FROM the playground to the office, most women have been the subject of gossip at one time.

But there is now useful advice on how to avoid being talked about – don’t dress too provocatively or look too pretty.

Women are more likely to spread gossip about another female if there is too much flesh on show or she is too attractive, researchers suggest. That is because gossip may be a good way to deal with a woman who is threatening. In one experiment, 104 women were told they were taking part in a study on how people work together.

First each woman was joined by a female who ‘let slip’ she was hung over and may have slept with two men. To test if they would gossip, they were then teamed up with a second woman who asked: ‘How was working with the other girl?’

The women were more likely to gossip about the first person if she had shared the information while wearing a low-cut top.

Psychologists from Florida State University said: ‘We propose that one mechanism by which women harm rivals’ social opportunities is through selectively transmitting reputation-relevant information. Moreover, we contend this is designed to undermine the appeal of same-sex romantic rivals who are perceived to be threatening.’

The study was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.