Gossip Is Good
Wait until Alice hears this
Gossip can be awful.
Being the subject of malicious gossip is pretty much the ur-nightmare of adolescence. I still remember being 13 and having a group of girls circle me in the bathroom, insisting that I show them my breasts because they’d heard a rumor that I stuffed my bra. I didn’t go full-on Carrie at them, but needless to say, I wasn’t thrilled.
Years later, having finally recovered from the Bra Gossip Debacle, I’m going to state an unpopular opinion: I also think gossiping can be great. Really. Not only can gossip be quite fun, it’s actually very useful when it comes to forming bonds, encouraging good behavior in others, alleviating frustration, and feeling better about our lives.
Turns out, the science backs me up.
Dr. Amir Levine, a psychiatrist and a neuroscientist and the author of Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find and Keep Love, explains that gossip can create intimate connection: “When primates groom each other, it’s a way to bond. That’s the equivalent of gossip for humans.”
That makes sense to me. My friend Laura and I have spent endless hours discussing shocking and hilarious tidbits about our friends, families, co-workers, and even people on Facebook we haven’t seen in years.
