Work Gossip is Good for You?

You might have heard that it's bad workplace etiquette to gossip, but if you've witnessed someone with bad behaviour, feel free to spread the news. "Prosocial" gossip - the kind that helps prevent others from being taken advantage of - does not only benefit the greater good, but also improves the health of the gossiper, according to a recently published study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (via the ScienceDaily).

"Gossip gets a bad rap, but we're finding evidence that it plays a critical role in the maintenance of social order," said Robb Willer, a psychologist and co-author of the study.Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley says that gossip is actually therapeutic and can lower stress levels for participants. In one experiment, participants were hooked up to heart rate monitors as they observed two people playing a game. After a couple of rounds, the participants saw one player not playing by the rules, which caused their heart rates to increase. When the observers were able to pass along the "unsavory characters" to other people, their heart rates decreased.

"Spreading information about the person whom they had seen behave badly tended to make people feel better, quieting the frustration that drove their gossip," Willer said.

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