In order to gain more knowledge about the effects of situational attributes on gossip motives, frequency, and valence future research should use experimental design or intensive longitudinal methods (i.e., diary and experience sampling). 8, 111120. You feel violated and resentful. doi: 10.1080/10887150902886423, De Backer, C. J., Nelissen, M., Vyncke, P., Braeckman, J., and Mcandrew, F. T. (2007). Of course, talking about other peoples lives isnt always negative, nor is it always gossip; but it can be the gateway to meddling and gossip. Assuming excessive gossip would damage trust within groups and harm individuals, one might speculate that the bad reputation of gossip restricts people from gossiping excessively. 7. Psychol. Thus, when thinking about the second gossip event participants might have explicitly thought about a gossip event differing from the previous one. Curiously, very few research exists on simply asking people about the reasons why they gossip (Beersma and Van Kleef, 2012). Bayesian inference for psychology. Leave the exaggeration at the door, Willer says. (2012). Nat. J. Pers. This indicates that the data are about 124 times more likely under the model assuming an association between narcissism and gossip validation than under the model assuming no such association (BF10 = 123.92). Consequently, we explore whether motives show differential importance between these two situations and whether the dark triad traits show differential relationships to gossip reasons across situations (see also Beersma and Van Kleef, 2012). People tend to think of gossip as synonymous with malicious rumors, put-downs or the breathless propagation of a tabloid scoop. However, we found neither a significant effect nor did the results change including gender. According to Wagenmakers et al. 25, 3557. Think about how you feel when someone pokes their nose into your personal affairs. Individ. Predictors of a behavioral measure of scholastic cheating: personality and competence but not demographics. Mischel, W. (1977). The motivational pattern was highly similar between private and work context. Why people gossip: an empirical analysis of social motives, antecedents, and consequences. The dirty dozen: a concise measure of the dark triad. People who do not like a person will typically seek out other people who share a mutual dislike for the same person. Correlations between all scales (N = 134). People hearing gossip good and bad about themselves, as well as negative gossip in general, showed more activity in the prefrontal cortex of their brains, which is key to our ability to navigate complex social behaviors. Pers. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill) 680740. and Good Day Dallas. The standardized factor loadings for the six-factor model are presented separately in Figure 1 for both settings. Bless her heart. My neighbor will sure have her hands full with another baby on the way, so close to the youngest. Dif. When we . charismatic. Pers. NIum die abwesende Person in einem schlechten Licht darzustellen. "Mean Girls" is arguably one of the most quotable comedies of all time, with the most iconic characters of all time. Dunbar, R. (1998). But if youve ever lived anywhere south of the Mason-Dixon line, you are already nodding your head. IGum Ausknfte ber die abwesende Person einzuholen. Not one person with firsthand knowledge ever contacted my husband. (2006) argues in his social gossip theory of language that human language evolved in order to keep track of complex social networks and to ensure the cohesion in large social groups. Psychol. van de Schoot, R., Kaplan, D., Denissen, J., Asendorpf, J. RBum das Vertrauen der Person, mit der ich geredet habe, zu gewinnen. Dif. Taken together, the results suggest that gossip is better than its reputation as people report to mainly use gossip for informational reasons and not to ruin the reputation of others. He's also a bit of a womanizer and can be quite manipulative. Its pretty generally accepted among social scientists (at least those who accept the theory of evolution) that gossip is likely a relic of our evolutionary past, McAndrews tells NBC News BETTER. Jonason and Schmitt (2012) claim narcissism to be the dark trait with the most social core (p. 402). Since they derive personal value from being in the know, they arent content to simply know the private information of others; they are driven to let other people know they know. Bless her heart.. An avoider gossip might have good intentions, but rarely do they get good results. Adv. In the work setting, Bayesian linear regression analyses show that all models received support from the data with BF10s varying between BF10 = 2.30 for social enjoyment and BF10 = 122473.60 for relationship building. However, when someone's typical behavior is to snap at people rather than communicating politely, then irritable is likely one of their personality traits. Are you stabbing someone in the back by telling that story? 26, 22882307. The potentially more competitive professional setting elicited more malicious gossip only by people scoring high on Machiavellianism. Influence tactics and objectives in upward, downward, and lateral influence attempts. For example, if theres someone who cheats a lot in a community or social circle and people start to talk about that person in a negative way, says Robbins, the collective criticism should warn others of the consequences of cheating. doi: 10.1177/1948550611405073, Beersma, B., and Van Kleef, G. A. Focusing on the social functions, that can be understood as not necessarily intended social consequences of gossip behavior, research clearly paints a positive picture of gossip. It is OK to talk negatively about others, but do not say anything bad about me. 2. Putting this all together, the study paints a rosier picture of gossip and its utility to everyday life than many would imagine. Pers. Psychol. For instance, asking individuals to rate their tendency to gossip, they rate themselves to be less gossipy than an average peer of the same sex, suggesting that gossiping is perceived rather negatively (Hartung and Renner, 2013). Psychol. Proc. For instance, gossiping just for fun might serve a recreational function, and, at the same time, create trust and closeness facilitating relationship building. Hartung, F.-M., and Renner, B. Instead of picking fleas and dirt off one another to bond, Ludden explains, we now talk, which is where gossip comes in, because chit-chat is mostly talking about other people and conveying social information., Gossiping, Dunbars work argues, gives humans the ability to spread valuable information to very large social networks. All rights reserved. For instance, in a study conducted by Schwarz and Bless (1992), participants were asked about a specific politician (i.e., Barschel) who was involved in a scandal. The models tested the hypothesized six-factorial model with the six scales as correlated first-order factors with paths leading to the three items hypothesized to comprise that factor (see Figure 1). In another of Feinbergs studies, a group of participants identified members who behaved selfishly via gossip, and promptly kicked them out. One subject for example, spoke about someone who was watching a lot of movies to stay current. A good gossiper is someone who people trust with information and someone who uses that information in a responsible way. Likewise, individuals might use gossip in order to negatively influence the reputation of a target person, and, without intention, simultaneously serve the social function of group protection. Decoding the narcissismpopularity link at zero acquaintance. Relatsh. Spontaneous "let's hang out" invitations. If we do vent to people, lets be sure we dont taint another persons reputation in a way that cant be recovered. characteristics and dynamics of male gossip. The jealous gossip is perhaps the most common gossip. doi: 10.1348/000712605X85871, Michelson, G., and Mouly, V. S. (2004). Did you hear how much they paid for it? We care about fairness. The vulnerable (covert) subtype is a less studied type of narcissism that presents with hypersensitivity, defensiveness, and even shyness. Psychol. It refers to the "prohibition of telling gossip, truthful remarks about a non-present person or party.". However, at the same time the rich representations of these unusual events of gossip make it more plausible that participants have a vivid and detailed memory and can therefore recall related aspects such as motivations for behavior more easily (Tourangeau, 2000). As a result, important social functions have been postulated for gossip in anthropological and psychological science (e.g., Suls, 1977; Baumeister et al., 2004; Dunbar, 2004a,b; Foster, 2004; Hartung and Renner, 2013). (The researchers also polled how the subjects felt, in addition to studying what their brain images revealed. Therefore, corrected F-values are reported (Huynh-Feldt). A self-centered character may learn the value of sharing with others in order to fulfill their goal. The Dark Triad and motivations for gossip. Psychol. In the present study, the importance of gossip motives did not differ substantially between work and private situations. Hum. 52, 449453. Excluding these participants from analysis did not change the results. In their study, Beersma and Van Kleef (2012) distinguished four different reasons to gossip, namely information gathering and validation, social enjoyment, negative influence, and group protection. We asked them to think about the reasons they had for that conversation and to answer the Motives to Gossip Questionnaire-Revised accordingly. The identity in turn emerges in part from information provided by the social environment (Baumeister, 1997, 1998; Fiske, 2004; Jones and Paulhus, 2011). In contrast to our expectation, we did not find any negative relationship between the dark triad and the protection motive. Gossiping is a social skill.. Dif. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203891, Djeriouat, H., and Trmolire, B. J. Hum. A proud woman born to a highly respected Southern family, Miss Emily seems frozen in the past, bearing herself aristocratically even when she is impoverished after her controlling father's death. The Dark Triad of personality and utilitarian moral judgment: the mediating role of Honesty/Humility and Harm/Care. Cost them a fortune!. If we get into an argument with our partner, we'll subconsciously want to find a fair outcome. In accordance with the national and institutional guidelines, ethical approval was not required for this study. Rev. The malevolent side of human nature: a meta-analysis and critical review of the literature on the dark triad (narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy). Public Pers. Gossiping about deviance: evidence that deviance spurs the gossip that builds bonds. When they are the first to volunteer their time, you can remark on their generosity. Necessary, even? And also the study by Beersma and Van Kleef (2012) shows that people mainly talk about others for informational reasons and not to negatively influence other people's reputation. But he didnt budge: hed talk about problems, not people. IVum herauszufinden ob die Person, mit der ich gesprochen habe, genauso ber die abwesende Person denkt. Unnecessary gossip and slander. Individ. Third, the order in which participants had to report on gossip in a work and in a private setting was not varied between participants. In the study, participants were divided into subgroups, and then each person was given a number of points representing small sums of money. Soc. Gossip tears down; love builds up. A couple of years younger than Daisy, Jordan is single and a professional golfer, which sets her apart from her married friend. 12, 211. 52, 482486. Also, post-hoc power analysis for the two regression analyses not reaching conventional levels of significance (i.e., for information gathering and protection in private setting) revealed that the F-tests did not achieve sufficient power (0.13 for protection and 0.58 for information gathering). Manag. People are really resistant to thinking about gossip as anything but a bad behavior, says Robbins. In support of that notion, the social enjoyment motive is less important in the professional setting than in the private setting. Keywords: gossip, gossip motives, situation, dark triad, narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, Citation: Hartung F-M, Krohn C and Pirschtat M (2019) Better Than Its Reputation? And being the scapegoat might have disastrous effects on the individuals as, in addition, their relationship to colleagues appears to be characterized by difficulties (Ellwardt et al., 2012a). New research published in the journal Social Psychology and Personality Science analyzed thousands of daily conversations to better understand the true nature of gossip. And, even though the motives to gossip depend on the gossiper's personality (i.e., dark triad personality), also individuals with dark personalities appear to use gossip to tune their picture of other humans and themselves. In addition, they may also depend on the years in a specific organization. Group Organiz. In addition, we examine the reasons of individuals scoring high on the dark triad personality traits (i.e., narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) as they are known to ignore commonly accepted norms and to act selfishly (e.g., OBoyle et al., 2012; Muris et al., 2017). Thus, gossip activity highly depends on organizational and occupational features. However, if even individuals with dark personalities rarely use gossip with the intention to harm others, the positive aspects of gossip would be underlined. Mischel (1977) argued that behavior in strong situations is based on situational circumstances rather than on the individual's personality. People are comfortable in your presence and they see you as someone friendly and approachable. Ratings were provided on a 9-point rating scale ranging from 1 (disagree strongly) to 9 (agree strongly). But researchers often define it more broadly: as talking about people who arent present, says Megan Robbins, an assistant professor of psychology at The University of California, Riverside. Magazines, Digital How the power of storytelling can change the course of your career, What's the difference between a lame excuse and good one? Isnt it okay to vent every now and then? In contrast, the motives factor receives extreme support. Dif. As the common core the tendency to deceive, manipulate, and exploit others for one's own benefit has been suggested (Lee et al., 2013; see also Jones and Figueredo, 2013). If you arent from the South, this one might not make sense to you. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Peng et al. Due to clarity reasons the inter-factor correlations are not displayed in Figure 1. Instead of sharing a prayer request you havent been asked to share, simply pray. Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar first pioneered this idea, comparing gossip to the grooming primates engage in as a means of bonding. We were studying the chapter called Why Are There Jerks in the World, and Could I Be One of Them? in my book Seek: A Womans Guide to Meeting God. Thinking About Answers: The Application of Cognitive Processes to Survey Methodology. Psychol. Int. Manag. But rather than going directly to the offending party as Matthew 18 instructs, or going to a person who can help (the parent, a pastor, law enforcement), they pass on the information in hopes the right person will somehow hear the right information, and do the right thing. 10. doi: 10.1177/147470491201000303, Jonason, P. K., Slomski, S., and Partyka, J. Thats not a responsible way of sharing information. Here's how. Dif. The dark triad and framing effects predict selfish behavior in a one-shot prisoner's dilemma. Needless to say, it created a relational mess. Rev. In total, 100% of the students and the unemployed participant reported to have work experience. Fiske, S. T. (2004). In order to get more insight into our results, we additionally conducted a Bayesian Repeated ANOVA and Bayesian Regression Analyses. Available online at: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-68883. Those who get easily frustrated with the problems of others and want them to "just get over it" will not last long. Conversations about absent third parties appear to be an apparent method to do exactly that. Personal. Taken together, the BF10s in the work setting showed that in 5 out of 6 analyses the BF10s are highest when the models include only narcissism. Br. Another way to explore whether the reputation of gossip is justified is to examine the gossip reasons of individuals scoring high on narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Out of jealousy or a need for revenge Violent Behav. Gifted and Talented Personality traits imply consistency and stabilitysomeone who scores high on a specific trait like Extraversion is expected to be sociable in different situations and over time. The inverse relationships between gossip, power, and likability. Consistent with Beersma and Van Kleef (2012), we asked the participants to think about a past situation when they had a conversation with someone about an absent person. Behav. Avoider gossip is based in fear, not love. According to standard procedures, missing values were imputed prior to forming scales using the EM method in SPSS 24 (Schafer and Graham, 2002). Fourth, in the Motives to Gossip Questionnaire participants are asked to think about their reasons to gossip in a specific situation capturing their motivation to gossip in that situation. Rev. The role of social. doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2011.11.020, Baughman, H. M., Jonason, P. K., Lyons, M., and Vernon, P. A. In line with that notion, research shows that individuals who show a high frequency of negative gossip are rated as highly dislikable (Farley, 2011). Back, M. D., Kfner, A. C., Dufner, M., Gerlach, T. M., Rauthmann, J. F., and Denissen, J. J. Soc. They also note that gossip tends to be about acquaintances more than celebrities, and typically involves an exchange of social information rather than thoughts about one's physical appearance or achievements. (2019). (2016). 88, 7377. Individ. 18, 334354. (2013). However, men and women differ significantly with regard to psychopathy (women M = 2.50, SD = 1.58 vs. men M = 3.08, SD = 1.73; t(132) = 2.01, p = 0.05, Cohen's d = 0.35). doi: 10.1016/j.paid.2015.09.002, Salin, D. (2003). doi: 10.1016/j.socnet.2011.11.003, Ellwardt, L., Steglich, C., and Wittek, R. (2012b). Bonferroni adjusted post-hoc analysis revealed that information validation (M = 4.68, SD = 1.59), information gathering (M = 3.92, SD = 1.65) as well as negative influence (M = 2.14, SD = 1.26) differed significantly from all other motives (ps < 0.001, respectively).
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