4 ms·

I always had your knee-jerk reaction to gossip, but after reading "How the mind works" by Steven Pinker I had to rethink my stance. I think I've been too influe

I always had your knee-jerk reaction to gossip, but after reading "How the mind works" by Steven Pinker I had to rethink my stance. I think I've been too influenced by sayings such as "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people". What Pinker argues is that gossip is a very important activity, it helps us learn more about our world, the social structures within it, and more importantly: who is trustworthy? Let's say A gossips to me about B (saying something bad). If another person C corroborates the character of B with their own experience, I can reasonably assume B is a bad actor. If C doesn't corroborate then perhaps A is the bad actor, spreading false rumours. Either way I've gained information. During our evolutionary history, learning who is trustworthy and who is not would be the difference between life and death. Just because we are far removed from lethal consequences in today's society doesn't mean gossip is any less useful. It can help you figure out if you should trust your business partner, invest in someone's business or provide a personal loan etc.

ARandomerDude 8y ago
> If C doesn't corroborate then perhaps A is the bad actor, spreading false rumours. The problem: you always suspect B of being a bad actor and maybe A. How long is enough for C to have completed his non-corroboration period? Gossip destroys relationships with suspicion at every turn. ETA: please don't take this as an endorsement of gossip being a criminal offense in the Philippines.
- yowlingcat 8y ago
  I don't think this argument makes sense. The information gossip provides is probabilistic rather than binary. You never really get a "true" answer, but that's the point -- it's just a signal. Suspicions are not created equal; perhaps a major, corroborated, founded suspicion could destroy relationships where a minor one may not.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- Gpetrium 8y ago
  I think it is worth noting that the word gossip has been painted with negative connotation in our society. The moment humans realized that the world is full of information asymmetry and unknowns, they started to gossip. Gossip is a tool to transfer knowledge of others/things to someone who may not have the means to confirm it themselves. In theory, a private reference from a friend to a potential employer about you is gossip (E.g. @ARandomerDude is a trustworthy individual, you should hire him) even thought your friend may not have a full picture of who you are.
  - cies 8y ago
    I believe (personally) that gossip is only things you would not say (or would say considerably different) when the gossiped-about-person is there to overhear it.
kabes 8y ago
Also in "Sapiens", Yuval Noah Harari argues about the importance of gossip to form larger societies.

ARandomerDude 8y ago

> If C doesn't corroborate then perhaps A is the bad actor, spreading false rumours. The problem: you always suspect B of being a bad actor and maybe A. How long is enough for C to have completed his non-corroboration period? Gossip destroys relationships with suspicion at every turn. ETA: please don't take this as an endorsement of gossip being a criminal offense in the Philippines.

yowlingcat 8y ago
I don't think this argument makes sense. The information gossip provides is probabilistic rather than binary. You never really get a "true" answer, but that's the point -- it's just a signal. Suspicions are not created equal; perhaps a major, corroborated, founded suspicion could destroy relationships where a minor one may not.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
Gpetrium 8y ago
I think it is worth noting that the word gossip has been painted with negative connotation in our society. The moment humans realized that the world is full of information asymmetry and unknowns, they started to gossip. Gossip is a tool to transfer knowledge of others/things to someone who may not have the means to confirm it themselves. In theory, a private reference from a friend to a potential employer about you is gossip (E.g. @ARandomerDude is a trustworthy individual, you should hire him) even thought your friend may not have a full picture of who you are.
- cies 8y ago
  I believe (personally) that gossip is only things you would not say (or would say considerably different) when the gossiped-about-person is there to overhear it.

kabes 8y ago

Also in "Sapiens", Yuval Noah Harari argues about the importance of gossip to form larger societies.