GOSSIPING IS GOOD FOR YOU!
Catty chit-chat relieves stress, boosts behavior
PSST! Gossip is good for you, researchers dish. Sharing whispered secrets is more than a guilty pleasure. It may actually be beneficial for your physical and mental health, according to scientists.
“Gossip is a complex form of communication that is often misunderstood,” explains Dartmouth College’s Dr. Eshin Jolly.
Gossip can serve important functions, such as pointing out unacceptable social behaviors. Studies have also shown it relieves stress and anxiety, which have been linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and depression. Researchers have found talking about people can also teach others who to trust — and who to avoid. “It keeps selfish and immoral individuals in check,” says the University of Toronto’s Professor Matthew Feinberg. A Stanford University study found participants who witnessed someone behaving badly felt a strong sense of relief after they warned others about that person.
Doctors say this stress release, which lowers heart rates, is linked to oxytocin — the feel-good hormone that’s present at higher levels during gossipfilled conversations than in neutral chats.
Oxytocin also reduces blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol — and sparks feelings of closeness and trust, say researchers.
Americans — both men and women — spend an average of 52 minutes a day dishing about others.
But gossipers appear to get more than a stress-busting thrill from their chatter. Researchers say they can also find motivation for selfimprovement!
Studies found talking about someone caught in a difficult situation can make people think about how they might handle a challenging event and may allow them to learn from the mistakes of others. Additional findings have demonstrated embarrassed people may change their bad behaviors to regain lost trust and reestablish broken social bonds upon learning someone talked negatively about them behind their backs!
“Gossip is not inherently sinful or wrong or inappropriate,” says Dr. Gary Fine, a sociologist at Northwestern University.
“Knowing our world better feels good [and] makes us feel more empowered.”