NHe himself in which the United States bombed the atomic sites of Iran, with the threat of a war escalation, part of public attention focused on the Venetian wedding between Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, and the journalist Lauren Sánchez. Is it the sign of a humanity increasingly distracted by social networks or a revelation of our superficiality? Second Kelsey McKinney, American journalist and author of the podcast Normal Gossip and the essay You Didn’T Hear This From Merecently released in the USA, is something else. «Interesting yourself in gossip is simply inevitable, because it is inherent in the evolution of our species. Let’s spread not because we can, but why we have to “declare the author. The data seem to give you reason: according to a study published in 2019 on Social Psychological and Personality Science On average we dedicate 52 minutes a day to gossip. Not for malignancy, but because it has brought us evolutionary advantages.
A social compass
To understand the social value of gossip, we must trace the origins of humanity. In a prehistoric tribe, without institutions or hierarchies, survival depended on mutual trust and knowledge of the behavior of others. Who was loyal? Who unreliable? Who respects the rules even in the absence of the leader? The gossip was the social compass Which allowed to orient themselves in these complexity, establish shared rules and values, strengthen the cohesion of the group and discourage antisocial behaviors. “It is no coincidence that gossip is widespread everywhere and always” clarifies Nicoletta Cavazza, professor of social psychology at the University of Modena-Reggio Emilia and author of Gossip and reputation (the mill).
The teacher, however, specifies that the term “gossip”, as such, nON necessarily has a negative content: “Only information is indicated on an absent third person” adds the teacher. «This exchange of information on absent has always served to be included in a circle of people, as a” social currency “with which we buy trust and a sense of belonging. Say: “I know something that no one else knows and I say it only to you” immediately creates a sense of proximity and connection. On the contrary, when we choose to change speech in front of an mistiality on an acquaintance, it is as if we refused the proposal for the relationship that is transmitted to us together with the secret “argues Cavazza. That’s why it is even advisable to indulge a little mischievous hypotheses: those who pull out of the gossip risk isolation as much as those who abuse it.
Release of dopamine
Not surprisingly, biology has encouraged the spread of this behavior. Listening to or telling the facts of others activates the release into the dopamine brain, a neurotransmitter who pushes to seek and repeat the rewarding behavior. And so the habit of gossip has increased our survival chances, guaranteeing the protection of the people we have belong to. In short, far from being the sign of little intelligence or poor morality, chatter “is a social glue, a means to share values and, in its more immediate form, a great fun” remarks McKinney.
But then why do we be ashamed in public? “During the three years in which I presented my volume around Italy, those who asked me a question always pressed:” I never care about gossip, but … “” confirms Cavazza.Mckinney argues that this “shame” is a legacy of religion, to which the condemnation of gossip was “very useful for maintaining the status quo”. The Movement #churchtoowhich emerged in parallel to the #Metoo, writes the journalist, he understood how “the coding of gossip as sin could act as a shield to allow men in a position of power to subjugate women in their congregations”. Moreover, the Bible attributes the historical origin of Gossip to Evawho condemned humans to leave Eden by reporting a story told by a snake. Obviously the Church does not take it as a model of behavior.
Cavazza, however, offers another reading of why We are ashamed of gossip. A first reason «is his frequent malicious content: The underlying intention is in fact to attack the reputation of others, an action in contrast with the love of the neighbor who has been preached for millennia. In addition, the gossip tramples on the bourgeois value of respectabilityCavazza reasons. On the other hand, despite the firstborn of the Cicaleccio assigned to Eva, there is no evidence that women practice it more than men. Rather, they are more often the object. Lauren Sánchez herself, who, due to her provocative movers, also often received comments on social media such as: “Why, with the money she has, always dresses like a prostitute?”
The rumor as art
The gossip on VIPs like Bezos are a sort of application on the vast scale of the gossip, given that their object beyond the circle of our acquaintances, which is the usual target. Yet it is enough to think about the recent Totti-Blasi divorce to realize how much events far from us can actually be very close to everyone’s experience, aspect that generates interest and empathy, desire to know more and, finally, pushed starting for one or the other. On the other hand, when the VIPs themselves monetize confidences, it is legitimate to doubt their sincerity.
And so we come to a fundamental question: the Is anonymous gossip tastier than the note from the note? According to the American journalist, yes, because it frees us from uncomfortable issues, as if we have to trust those who told us about it or if we are morally conniving. “If we do not know well where the information comes from, how can we be held responsible for any consequences?”. Cavazza hypothesizes, however, that the source anonymous makes the rumor more credible. Of course, much also depends on the skill of those who reveal it: gossip requires emotional intelligence and high communication skills, to nail us to the story. For this reason McKinney defines the gossip an art, or rather one performance that, despite the apparent lightness, has a profound meaning. “We have always told us stories, to give meaning to the world by connecting to others,” McKinney writes. “And what is the story of another, if not a reminder that we are not alone on this earth?” As if to say that we are all authorized to learn more about the wedding of the year.