Have you heard the latest rumor? News flash: gossiping can be good for you! Recent studies have proven that people who gossip tend to form more social connections, boost their moods, reduce stress, and relieve anxiety.

People have always talked about other people’s lives, just as a casual conversation. Most people believe that gossiping is a negative thing and that you shouldn’t do it. Yet that doesn’t stop people from conversing about others. Gossip is even a normal part of our culture.

Gossiping can have positive impacts, like increasing a person’s social life! It can be perceived as a form of communication and often brings people together. The University of Maryland and Stanford University have created new theoretical research about gossiping. Their study suggests that gossip can bond large groups of people together. 

Researchers argue that gossip helps people know more about each other including who to trust and who to not trust. It was revealed that the average person spends around an hour a day gossiping. The social benefits of this range from determining associates, creating bonds, and fostering cooperation.

Why do people gossip? Gossip is just a form of communication where people talk about their environment and the people around them. People gossip to discuss personal experiences and share information from their first-hand accounts. But gossip can go too far sometimes, especially when the information is false.

Scientists have shared that engaging in gossip sets off a hormone called oxytocin. This chemical is relevant to positive feelings and human experiences like empathy. So when people communicate through gossip, oxytocin is released and boosts their moods.

People argue that gossip has negative impacts too like destroying trust or relationships, damaging reputations, and spreading false information as well as rumors. A good amount of gossip is good for a person’s social life and communications, but too much can affect other people negatively as well.

Gossip has good and bad sides, but most people still engage in gossip no matter what. As long as it’s a relevantly good amount, gossip isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It can even be beneficial to a person’s social life and make them happier.