The New Word on Gossip

I don't gossip very much, but I'm interested in hearing it. I like stories about celebrities-who's dating who, who's a jerk in real life. Knowing what other people are doing helps me evaluate what I'm doing.

Paul, 28 Art Director/Writer

The problem with gossip is it's based on little facts, fiction or hearsay. That's what makes it fun, but people take it as the truth, turn it around, and throw it in your face.

Tracy, 27 Actor

I gossip about all kinds of relationships--not just about love. It's an occupational hazard. I'm interested in why people do the things they do, what makes them tick-especially when what they're doing doesn't make sense.

Karine, 26 Writer

Gossip isn't always vicious, sometimes it's just informative and keeps you in the loop. I usually gossip about who got fired, who's sleeping with who--whatever the latest scandals are.

READ MORE ABOUT IT:

How the Mind Works.

Stephen Pinker, Ph.D. (Norton, 1999)

The Mating Mind.

Geoffrey Miller (Heinemann, 2000)

PHOTOS (COLOR): Gossips

Nigel Nicholson, Ph.D., is a professor of organizational behavior at London Business School. His most recent book is Executive Instinct: Managing the Human Animal in the Information Age (Crown, 2000).

Tags: beehive, cocktail parties, collective identity, family reunions, fragmentation, grapevine, guilty pleasures, nigel nicholson, pervasiveness, primates, professional convention, rampant individualism, rumor mill, savanna, social animals, spending time, stomach churning, water cooler

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