The spoken word is an extremely powerful thing. A compliment has the ability to change someone’s mood for days. An insult can destroy confidence for months. A recommendation can change someone’s life and a lie can destroy it.

Because words are so powerful, Gossip is typically thought of as a dangerous tool. It’s something mean girls use to keep their social standing,its something Boys do to know each other better and their weaknesses More, Likewise, office chatter can change an organization’s perception of someone and push someone out of a position. But as destructive as gossip--which Dictionary.com defines as “idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others,”-- can be,  it can also have some benefits.

ONE:
Gossip is Heart Healthy. In a recent University of California Berkeley study, researchers found that people’s heart rates quickened when they saw someone doing something they didn’t like. When those same people were able to tell someone about it, their heart rates decreased and they calmed down. An implication here is that gossiping to someone about an unpleasant experience may make people more likely to release anger and then find a solution, instead of holding on to negative feelings, harboring resentment and preventing the problem from being solved.

TWO:
Gossip Keeps People Safe. While spreading information about people can be seen as mean, researchers found that people often do it with good intentions. Sometimes, people were motivated not by the desire to slander one person, but to protect another. In the Berkeley study, participants playing a game were willing to spend their own money for the permission to gossip, if it meant they were able to warn someone that they were about to be taken advantage of.

THREE:
Gossip Builds the Social Network. People want to know that they’re being heard and talking about someone is a great way to make that happen. British researchers found that people who gossiped felt more social support than people who did not. Additionally, they discovered that when gossips chatted behind people’s backs in a positive way, they felt better about themselves as well.

FOUR:
Gossip Keeps People in Line. Dutch researchers found out that when people believed their actions would not be kept a secret, they acted more selflessly than they did if they knew no one would know about their choices. To get this data, researchers gave subjects 100 tickets for a cash-prize lottery. Some of the subjects were told that they could distribute the tickets as they wished and no one would have any idea what their choices were. Other participants were told that whatever they decided to do with the tickets would be made public. Those who were told they’d be gossiped about distributed the tickets more evenly. Those who were told the opposite kept a larger chunk of the tickets for themselves.
These types of gossip are often referred as being “pro-social” — meaning that people were gossiping with relatively good intentions. So use the power of words for good, and you can keep that everyday chat going --guilt-free!