The Case for Being the Office Gossip

"But here's the twist-gossip isn't always bad. In fact, a growing number of psychologists and organizational scholars argue that positive gossip-informal conversations that highlight someone's strengths or productive actions-may be a powerful yet overlooked tool for strengthening teams, building healthier cultures, and enhancing our own sense of meaning at work. So instead of trying to eliminate gossip altogether (a losing battle), what if we focused on improving its quality?"

"Gossip often gets a bad reputation because we associate it with rumor-spreading or interpersonal drama. But historically and evolutionarily, gossip served a purpose-it helped groups maintain social norms and encourage cooperation. It also functions to expose those who act against the group's best interest. Research shows that when people are the subject of negative gossip about a norm violation, they temporarily change their behavior to get back into good standing with the group (Dores Cruz et al., 2019)."

Gossip is information shared about someone who is not present and occurs frequently, with the average person spending nearly an hour a day on it. Historically, gossip maintained social norms, encouraged cooperation, and exposed norm violators. Negative gossip produces short-term behavioral change through social penalties but rarely yields long-term norm commitment. Positive gossip highlights strengths and productive actions, strengthening teams by building connection, collaboration, and trust. Sharing positive gossip can increase the sharer's influence and power and can boost organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Improving the quality of gossip rather than prohibiting it can leverage its social functions constructively.

Read at Psychology Today