Evolution, Alienation and Gossip

Social Issues Research Center ^ | 17 February 2007 | Kate Fox

[shrinkermd]

This is a very long,interesting article that is hard to excerpt. Here is a brief portion of it:

Aditional findings:

Men gossip as much as women. The study found that men gossip at least as much as women, especially on their mobiles. Thirty-three percent of men indulge in mobile gossip every day or almost every day, compared with twenty-six percent of women. Men gossip for just as long and about the same subjects as women, but tend to talk more about themselves.

Mobile as 'symbolic bodyguard'. Women use their mobile phones as 'symbolic bodyguards' when feeling vulnerable in public places –

The joy of text. Texting is particularly important in maintaining contact with a wide social network

Teenage social skills. Texting helps teenagers (and some adult males) to overcome awkwardness and inhibitions and to develop social and communication skills – they communicate with more people, and more frequently, than they did before mobiles.

Text as 'trailer'. Mobile gossip is enhanced by the use of the text message as a 'trailer', alerting friends to the fact that one is in possession of an interesting item of gossip, but saving the details for a phone call or meeting.

Entertainment. Women are more skilled than men at making gossip entertaining – three factors are involved: highly animated tone, plenty of detail and enthusiastic 'feedback'.

Risk-therapy. Enjoyment of gossip is also about the thrill of risk-taking, doing something a bit naughty, talking about people's 'private' lives –

Benefits of negative gossip. Only about five per cent of gossip-time is devoted to criticism and negative evaluation of others – but this 'negative gossip' has clear social benefits in terms of rule-learning and social bonding.

[shrinkermd]

The basics of this article include:(1)Gossip is common and normal; (2)It performs a necessary function; (3)And, the mobile phone has taken the place of the "garden fence."

[GSlob]

What was that legend? Sometime during the Middle Ages two women were gossiping in a church, and the nearby devil was writing it down on a piece of parchment. As the parchment was not long enough, he tried to stretch it with his teeth, lost his balance, fell and caused a scandal. The gossipers were given a thermal treatment. Nowadays it would be not losing the balance in a church but getting in an auto accident while using a mobile, or because of somebody else using it.
So yes, it is common, natural, has been with us since the Paleolithic, and performs a necessary Darwinist function.