A new study indicates that sharing rumors may have therapeutic benefits.
Social psychologists at University of California, Berkeley, found that gossiping about unethical behavior helps reduce stress and maintain social order. It can even calm the racing heart of someone who knows another person is up to no good.
The researchers invited their subjects to play games of economic trust. When a player cheated, subjects who saw the dishonesty experienced stress and increased heart rates. But when permitted to send a “gossip note” warning fellow players about the cheater, the subjects exhibited relief and a decreased heart rate. In another phase of the study, subjects even sacrificed their own money to players who had been swindled.
“We shouldn’t feel guilty for gossiping if the gossip helps prevent others from being taken advantage of,” said Matthew Feinberg, the study’s lead author. His co-authors further clarified that the study showed benefits relating only to “prosocial” gossip – sending warnings about dishonest people – and not to spreading lies or ill-informed rumors.
