Re: OT~Is gossip bad for you? New study finds health benefits

[Guest guest]

Newland wrote:

>

>

> Is gossip bad for you? New study finds health benefits

>

>

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57361315-10391704/is-gossip-bad-for-you-n\

ew-study-finds-health-benefits/

>

For the most part, I agree with the author. Sometimes gossip is the

only safety valve available to relieve frustration in situations where

one doesn't have the power to bring about change..

And the importance of gossip in maintaining social order cannot be

emphasized enough. Those who pine away for small town life because

people allegedly had " better manners " , " honored conformity " , and behaved

more " kindly " toward their neighbors are overlooking an important

issue. It isn't necessarily altruism and a desire to conform that

motivate the behavior of small town residents, but the fear of being

gossiped about within their own community. For all the charm of small

town life, the experience of actually living in such a setting can be

quite the straitjacket.

There are also studies that explore the social bonding aspect of gossip,

speculating that the practice serves a similar purpose to primate social

grooming. We humans may not get together and bond over a mutual

lice-picking session, but we have our conversational equivalent in the

form of gossip (both good and bad types).

Best,

~CJ

[Guest guest]

Newland wrote:

>

>

> Is gossip bad for you? New study finds health benefits

>

>

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57361315-10391704/is-gossip-bad-for-you-n\

ew-study-finds-health-benefits/

>

, did you check out the link to the SF Chronicle article at the end

of the CBS News article? It seems that CBS News excerpted from the

Chronicle article, unfortunately omitting most of the comments about the

complex nature of gossip.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/01/17/BAAS1MQI6H.DTL

Best,

~CJ

[Guest guest]

Newland wrote:

>

>

> Is gossip bad for you? New study finds health benefits

>

>

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57361315-10391704/is-gossip-bad-for-you-n\

ew-study-finds-health-benefits/

>

For the most part, I agree with the author. Sometimes gossip is the

only safety valve available to relieve frustration in situations where

one doesn't have the power to bring about change..

And the importance of gossip in maintaining social order cannot be

emphasized enough. Those who pine away for small town life because

people allegedly had " better manners " , " honored conformity " , and behaved

more " kindly " toward their neighbors are overlooking an important

issue. It isn't necessarily altruism and a desire to conform that

motivate the behavior of small town residents, but the fear of being

gossiped about within their own community. For all the charm of small

town life, the experience of actually living in such a setting can be

quite the straitjacket.

There are also studies that explore the social bonding aspect of gossip,

speculating that the practice serves a similar purpose to primate social

grooming. We humans may not get together and bond over a mutual

lice-picking session, but we have our conversational equivalent in the

form of gossip (both good and bad types).

Best,

~CJ

[Guest guest]

I can't believe people spend time and money to do " studies " like this <g>. But

I agree with the psychiatrist who said this was a form of " gossip " that most

people don't think of as gossip. I do think the subject matter of the gossip

matters a lot to how it affects health and what was being measured here was not

so much gossip as moral values. Some gossip may make the gossiper feel better

if they are a gossiper--and some people are and some are not-- but if you are

not a gossiping sort being around people who are will probably tend to make you

feel more stressed rather than less. It has always made me very uncomfortable,

anything being said behind someone's back I would always say should be willing

to be said in front of them or not at all -- unless it was to plan them a

surprise party : ).

[Guest guest]

Hmmmm having seen gossip destroy families, reputations, and lives.... I'm still on the side of it does more harm that good any day of the week... however I do not entirely understand the definition of gossip. I tend to think of gossip as the spreading of evil news, false news, or news that in some way harms others. Some people seem to think the passing on of any sort of news positive or negative is gossip. That doesn't make sense to me. So I'd have to say my opinion probably isn't worth a whole lot as I don't feel I have ever really gotten a full handle on what exactly gossip is. Then too I have a compulsive need to pin things down and often things are not pinable. I don't really see how spreading harmful news about someone else is going to make me feel better. Unless the someone else is a criminal of some sort and society has the need to know who they are.... such as spreading the news that someone is a pedophile and they just got out of jail.... ok.... I'm muddling now... LOL Jennie AS

OT~Is gossip bad for you? New study finds health benefits

Is gossip bad for you? New study finds health benefits

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57361315-10391704/is-gossip-bad-for-you-new-study-finds-health-benefits/