10 Reasons Why Gossip Is Actually Good for You
Gossiping is often viewed negatively across the world, but there are actually several surprising benefits that come with it. In fact, scientists have found that there are many positive aspects of gossiping, some of which may surprise you! For instance, gossip can improve language skills and even teach empathy. While it's important to avoid harmful gossip, there are benefits to discussing other people and their lives. In this article, we'll take a closer look at some of the ways in which gossip can actually benefit humanity. So, let's dive in!
"Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, and weak minds discuss people." Socrates said.
Although there is something to be justified, people don't discuss ideas much in their daily lives. Even the smartest person shares what happened to him and his problems with his friends and family. Therefore, gossip has also become an indispensable part of everyday life, whether you accept it or not! So what are the benefits of gossip for humanity from the past to the present? 👇
1. Gossiping has a big role in the development of languages.
Language is an element that allows us to communicate with other people and makes it possible to acquire skills such as learning and teaching. Feelings and thoughts also develop thanks to language. And the language that undertakes all these tasks is the fuel of gossip! Our ancestors used gossip for socializing purposes. For people living in larger groups than now, gossiping was a phenomenon that facilitated the processing of acquired information.
2. One of the factors that leads people to form deep bonds with each other is gossip.
Researchers note that it is important not to focus only on the negative aspects of gossip. In the past, it was easier for people to survive thanks to gossip, which was the heart of communication. Our ancestors, who used gossip to connect, thus made it possible for information to reach a wider audience. This dissemination of valuable information was increasing the functionality of people as a society.
3. Some researchers see gossip as evidence of 'cultural learning'.
Cultural learning refers to the elements that develop over time and determine what is accepted and what is not accepted in society. Therefore, issues such as the ethical understanding of society are acquired in this way. Gossip is a proof of this, because cultural learning develops as people share their experiences with each other. For example, as it spreads that a person is constantly lying, society takes a stand against him, and deceptions arise among people that lying is bad.
4. Gossiping helps us relax during stressful times.
According to a study conducted in 2012, people participate in gossip passively or actively. Of the participants in the experiment, it is found that the pulses of those who listen to someone else's immoral actions speed up. On the contrary, it is observed that the participants who told about their own incident slowed down their pulses and calmed down. Therefore, it is possible to say that people who share this with someone in stressful situations, that is, those who actively participate in gossip, quickly calm down.
5. Gossip can positively affect the sense of togetherness in a community.
In one study, it was noticed that people who behave selfishly in a community are quickly identified through gossip and excluded from the community. Among the groups studied, it was observed that participants were able to decipher who was working for the benefit of the community and who was working for their own benefit through conversations. This is something that is often observed at work, for example, and is very useful for office life.
6. Gossiping reveals the nature of your relationship with your lover or friends.
It's an undeniable fact that trust is the most important thing in a relationship, and the people you prefer to gossip with are usually the people you trust. When you share a secret or experience, your closeness with that person increases. Thus, it can be said that gossiping prevents loneliness and is another way to get close to people.
7. It is known that gossip plays a big role in building language knowledge.
At the time when communication between people began to develop, the knowledge of language was not established. As they tried to convey more complex events rather than simple commands to each other, their knowledge of language began to improve over time. You can guess the role gossip plays here!
8. The ability of gossiping people to empathize is improving.
People who share their experiences also learn to learn from them, and over time they begin to empathize with other people more easily. Sharing your memories about someone who has upset you with a friend makes it easier for you to cope with difficult emotions and suppresses the feeling of shame.
9. Gossip makes it easier to reach a solution to some problems.
You can support your friends by giving them ideas if they are in a difficult situation. Similarly, when you are in the same situation, you can get solution-oriented answers from the people you share your problem with. Thus, you sharing about your work or school life provides you with new perspectives.
10. Gossip helps to bring social and structural problems to the surface today.
Gossip like the 'MeToo' movement has enabled people to reveal the problems they suppress and hide, and people to come forward without fear of being accused and judged. Thus, the perspective on gossiping has also changed in a way. Also, the time spent alone during the pandemic reminded people of the value of sitting and gossiping with each other.
Remember! Missing the amount of gossip is never a welcome behavior; it can also cause you to become a very judgmental person over time. That's why we end our content by saying a lot of it is harmful.
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