Society Would Collapse Without Gossip

Respect the water cooler. A new study indicates that gossip plays several important roles in maintaining a healthy social environment, and without gossip, our interpersonal interactions might quickly become openly hostile.

Conducted by a group at the University of California, Berkeley, the study explains that gossip reinforces social order by providing a check against bad behavior, and by offering individuals a "relief valve" for their frustrations.

The four experiments that comprised the study focused on "prosocial" gossip; that is, gossip intended to spread information about exploitative, untrustworthy individuals. It did not examine such things as celebrity rumors.

In one experiment, participants had their heart rates monitored while they watched a video of two people playing a trust game. When it became apparent that one of the players was cheating, the participants' heart rates went up, but when they were offered the chance to warn others, it lessened somewhat. Another experiment gave the viewers a chance to warn the cheated party, but at the cost of the fee the participant was given for the experiment. Despite this sacrifice, most volunteers chose to pass on a warning.

Finally, one group of game players was told about the volunteers watching and was informed that those watching might have a chance to warn their opponents about any unfair play. When given the opportunity to cheat, these players almost always chose to play fairly, showing that the risk of being the subject of negative gossip overrode the desire for material gain.

Researchers concluded that most people are, to one degree or another, prosocial. They endure personal sacrifices to maintain fairness across a social group. Those who are more prosocial are more likely to give up personal gain, but are also likely to better benefit emotionally from "venting" to others. Thus does gossip preserve a community-wide sense of fairness and fair play.

Source: The University of California, Berkeley

Painting by Eugen von Blaas (1843–1932)