An interesting article from the NYT on the inherent value of talking about each other behind our backs. I've been waiting for this for years! I kid. But I also talk a lot of shit. So it's nice to place the blame squarely on the shoulders of human evolution where it belongs.
I actually saw a documentary a few years ago which claimed up to 80% of human interaction could be qualified as gossip, i.e. talking about other people.
"Gossip not only helps clarify and enforce the rules that keep people working well together, studies suggest, but it circulates crucial information about the behavior of others that cannot be published in an office manual."
It's also "important in policing behaviors in a group and defining group membership." And let's not forget that it's very useful for making sure that fat girl doesnt make the cheerleading squad because she's really a total slut.
A great mental image for the alpha girls of highschools everywhere: "When two or more people huddle to share inside information about another person who is absent, they are often spreading important news, and enacting a mutually protective ritual that may have evolved from early grooming behaviors."
Posted by bluprnt at August 16, 2005 10:14 PM