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Modern negative connotation -

Gossip is generally perceived as negative, hurtful rumors or tabloids that are an invasion of privacy.

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The definition of gossip -

Most researchers, however, define gossip as any instance of talking about someone who isn't present and sharing information that isn't general knowledge.

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Evidence of gossip from ages ago -

The cave drawings we analyze now fall under the field of archaeology, but at its root it’s ancient gossip we’re looking at. It's people keeping track and alerting others of what’s going on.

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Knowledge is power -

Frank McAndrew, an expert on human social behavior and gossip, emphasizes that our ancestors were equally fascinated by the lives of other, more successful people.

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A survival tactic -

To thrive in the Stone Age, cave men had to know who was sleeping with whom, who held more power, who had access to resources, and so on to be successful.

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An old bonding tool -

Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar pioneered the idea that gossip evolved out of the grooming primates engage in as a means of bonding. Instead of picking fleas off one another, we talk. And what makes better talk than other people, especially when fields like technology and even philosophy haven't yet advanced?

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Key to forming societies -

Dunbar also argues that without these discussions of social and personal issues, we wouldn't be able to sustain the societies that we do.

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52 minutes per day - In a 2019 analysis published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, it was reported that the average person spends 52 minutes every day gossiping.

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467 topics, majority are neutral -

Of those 52 minutes, the average person covers 467 subjects, and three-quarters of that gossip is typically neutral and relatively boring, like documenting facts such as: "She's stuck late at work."

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About 15% was negative -

About 15% of gossip is the negative kind, passing what researchers call "evaluative" judgment.

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Only 9% was positive -

Positive gossip is, predictably, less common than negative gossip.

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Active vs passive gossip - A 2012 study looking at the physiological reactions to gossip found that when subjects heard about another person’s anti-social behavior or an injustice, their heart rates increased. When they were able to actively gossip about the person, however, it soothed them and brought their heart rates down. We seem to naturally prefer active participation.

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Neutral gossip serves a function -

Neutral gossip actually helps us build friendships and a sense of community, as well as learn vital pieces of information that can help us shape our social lives.

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Establishing trust -

When you divulge information to a person, you're indicating that you trust that person with the information, which can be positive for a relationship.

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Stereotyped as feminine -

Gossip has also been attributed to lower classes along with women, but data has debunked this–gossip is equally present across genders and classes.

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When it’s just harmful -

Scientists say gossip is purely harmful when it doesn't provide any opportunity for social learning. That includes rude comments about someone's appearance or comments that are untrue.

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Judgment can be done well -

A positive effect of judgmental gossip provides cultural learning and compels people to behave better, but tread carefully. When someone’s reputation precedes them, for example, we know there has been gossip, but this can be either positive or negative depending on how it's done.

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The presence of gossip is a moral check -

When a group gossips, the information and judgments shared could serve as a guideline for moral behavior. For example, if a group is gossiping about a slacker, any slackers in the group will try to adjust their behavior because they don't want to risk being gossiped about.

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Cultural learning -

Gossip can also be a great way to learn the unwritten rules of a setting. For instance, water cooler talk at a new job could help you figure out what is acceptable office attire, or who you want to avoid working with on a team project.

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Elderly habit and bonding mechanism -

Sociology professor Stacy Torres studied gossip among elderly people living alone in New York City. Her research revealed that older people use gossip as a way to connect and combat loneliness.

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A way of maintaining ties while venting -

Gossip also presents the opportunity to vent about people without damaging those social ties. Torres found that even when the elders' gossip seemed negative, it tended to also be thoughtful.

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So what about celebrities? -

While it’s clear why we might care about people we interact with regularly, those who social scientists label “socially important,” why do we care about famous people we’ve never met and probably will never meet?

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How someone becomes "socially important" -

Knowing a lot of information about a person became a signal to our caveman brains that that person was important to us.

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Enter: information overload -

Now, in the modern age of information, we know a lot about people we’ve never met, thanks to the Internet and social media. Our brains are consequently tricked into thinking that celebrities are socially important to us.

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You gravitate towards celebrities you can relate to -

One study even showed that we tend to gravitate toward celebrity gossip about people of the same gender and age group, as we feel more connected to them.

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They can be your rivals or allies -

That’s why you might feel empowered by a celebrity's actions. Or, in a more negative case, they could let you down. You can also feel competitive and start unhealthily comparing yourself to them, despite the fact that you know they’re not actually relevant to your life.

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Celebrity gossip also bonds gossipers -

This form of pop culture gives people common conversational ground, and some researchers go so far as to suggest that keeping up with celebrity gossip is a social skill.

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But how do you know if you've crossed the line? -

Bad gossipers indiscriminately spill the beans to anyone who will listen, or they have a clearly selfish agenda in which their gossip is aimed at damaging their rivals' reputations.

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Do it well -

Those who gossip well know many things and are trusted to be discreet. They only share when the well-being of others is not on the line.

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If gossip is getting out of control -

It can be quite dangerous to your social life, hurting relationships and sucking up time from things that will make you much happier. If it's getting out of hand, avoid situations where you know there will be gossip, as well as the people who tend to encourage it. 

See also: Bizarre celebrity rumors and conspiracy theories.

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