Achi news desk-
GUWAHATI: Gossip may not always be a bad thing and actually offers some unexpected benefits, a new study by researchers from Stanford and the University of Maryland has found.
The study, titled “Explaining the Evolution of Gossip,” published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that gossipers aren’t so bad and that gossip can actually provide “social benefit.”
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Gossip is good at spreading information about people’s reputations, which can help those receiving this advice connect with cooperative people while avoiding selfish people and that “gossipers multiply and strengthen the reputation and cooperation system,” the study revealed.
Computer simulations have been used by researchers to help solve the long-standing social psychology mystery of how gossip evolved into such a popular pastime that transcends gender, age, culture and socioeconomic background.
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“One previous study shows that, on average, a person spends an hour a day talking about others, so it takes a lot of time from our daily lives,” stated the study’s first author Xinyue Pan.
Although gossip has a negative connotation, Pan said the information gossipers share can be flattering and regardless of its content, gossip can have a useful function.
“Positive and negative gossip are important because gossip plays an important role in sharing information about people’s reputations. Once people have this information, cooperative people can find other good people to cooperate with, which actually benefits the group. So gossip is not always a bad thing. It Can be a positive thing,” Pan said.
