Illustration by Josefina Schargorodsky
Gossip may seem like a modern phenomenon but, and don’t tell anyone else we told you this, it’s actually a much earlier form of social bonding
You might think of celebrity magazines, scurrilous internet rumours and hastily typed texts when you think about gossip, but in fact it’s so old, experts believe it to be related to the grooming we see primates take part in. Biological anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, argues that language has evolved directly from social grooming and that gossip is an important stage of this evolution.
Before you worry too much about what chimps might be saying about you behind your back, however, here’s an interesting fact about (evolved) human gossip: the earliest recorded piece of gossip takes the form of a cuneiform tablet from 1,500 BCE Mesopotamia, which discusses a mayor who had an affair with a married woman. Some things never seem to change, gossip least of all.
And since gossip is firstly - here to stay and secondly - clearly a vital part of being human, we’d like to share with you a few ways to gossip well from our feature, ‘Have you heard…’ from our August issue:
Sharing happy news or praise helps to strengthen relationships and makes you feel good whereas repeating negative rumours can easily cause damage.
Positive gossip will serve the good of the listener or group rather than just the gossiper. Consider if it’s information that others will find helpful and not just entertaining.
Avoid workplace gossip unless you’re sharing a valid concern about someone. Office gossip has been proven to create a stressful working environment and can be detrimental to your job.
Don’t talk negatively about mutual friends unless it comes from a place of concern. Friendships involve a bond of trust and it’s in your interest to uphold that.
Before you share something about somebody (regardless of whether it’s good or bad), ask yourself if you think they would want you to be telling their story.
Seek out harmless gossip with a podcast. Try Kelsey McKinney’s Normal Gossip, Katherine Ryan: Telling Everybody Everything, or The Rest Is Entertainment.
You can read the rest of the feature by Rebecca Frank in our August issue. But keep it to yourself, ok?
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