Gossip in Daily Life

Abstract

This talk contains the results of a large experience sampling study where 309 participants reported on sending and receiving gossip four times a day for 10 days. This method offers a unique insight into the natural phenomenon of gossip. Gossip is key in systems of indirect reciprocity that are argued to enable human cooperation. While laboratory experiments support these arguments, empirical knowledge of gossip in daily life is scarce. It is important to describe gossip in its natural setting to describe what our theories need to explain. We discuss three aspects of gossip here. First, looking at gossip content, results showed that people gossip about direct experience, that gossip is more negative than positive, and that people largely believe gossip. Second, looking at the relationship context in which gossip occurs, results showed that people gossip with individuals they value highly about individuals they value less. Finally, combining the content and relationship context to look at the consequences of gossip, results showed that gossip can lead to a change in the relationship valuation of a target and that this change predicted behavioral intentions towards a target, explaining the effects of gossip content. In sum, it seems people use gossip in daily life in ways that support indirect reciprocity and partner selection.

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Location
Sedona Arizona, United States
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Terence Daniel Dores Cruz
Postdoctoral Researcher

I am broadly interested in human cooperation, ethics and morality. Currently, I study how people use information in decision-making .