Though many of us enjoy it, gossip is a slippery subject with a sullied reputation.
The word originated with the Old English "Godsibb", meaning "a person related to one in God." By the 1800s, gossip denoted a man who drank with friends and shared fellowship, or a woman who was a family friend and helped during childbirth.
Today, the dictionary says gossip is "chatty talk, the reporting of sensational or intimate information." It is said to ruin reputations, poison relationship, and halt careers.
But social scientists say gossip can serve as a unifying force that communicates a group's moral code.
Dr. Ralph Rosnow, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Temple University, says gossip lets you know what the limits on personal behavior are. When you move to a house and a neighbor tells you the previous resident never disposed of garbage properly, it tells you something.
Gossip shepherds the herd, says Rosnow. It is especially effective in managing the morality of small groups, especially in a workplace. If you want to know who will help you, or when it's acceptable to slack off, pay attention to the grapevine.
People who gossip the most usually rank highest on the anxiety scale, says Rosnow. They disclose more but are often on the receiving end of gossip as well.
When Rosnow asked test subjects who they liked, people being talked about were not the most popular because they didn't conform. Those gossiping weren't popular because of their presumed untrustworthiness. Highest rated were those who could keep a balance between their roles as gossiper and gossipee.
Rumors
Rumors may not involve people but are always speculative. They come in two types:
Wish Rumors that we hope are true, and Dread Rumors that we pray are false.
The Foundation for the Study of Rumors based in Paris concluded that rumors are based on society's fears. The rumor about worms in fast food burgers reflected rising concerns about junk food and health. Rumors, it seems, are echoes of ourselves, revealing the desires and obsessions of society.
There is also such a thing as a positive rumor, also known as "creating a buzz." When Chrysler loaned 6,000 business leaders a new car for weekend use, 98 percent of the leaders said they would recommend the cars to their friends.
The dark side of gossip
While gossip will never go away, all who participate should remember that there is a point where exchange of information ceases to be helpful and becomes harmful.
Those who cross the line are seen as untrustworthy and unworthy of true friendship.
In company settings, the truths become known, and those who spread false information are shunned.
