The origin of gossip

Why do we like gossip so much? Are we bad people? No. Social scientists have discovered that the practice is an evolutionary adaptation.

"We're descended from people who were good at it," says Frank McAndrew, professor of psychology at Knox College in Walesburg, Illinois.

According to him, "in prehistoric times, people fascinated by other people's lives were more successful.

The expert on human social behavior and gossip explains that to thrive in cave times, one had to know what was happening to the people around us: 'Who has power?

Gossip is good for your health. And they still accuse the newspapers of only giving bad news. This is fantastic, and works as a balm for all women who like to talk so much around the coffee table, or do not dispense, for nothing in this world, the daily phone call with their sister, in which they review the main events of the day, weave complicity and, of course, cut into the jacket of whoever is "asking for it".

The authors of this revelation, which will erase the glimmer of guilt that was still associated with these conversations, are the scientists of the University of Michigan.

The study, published by the London Who has never spoken ill of anyone? Yeah. Practically everyone's gossiped at least once in their life. Although some people are more into gossip than others.

New York Magazine (NYM) has released a new theory, aired by Yuval Harari in his book "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind". Apparently, gossip is essential to the survival of the species.

According to the author, individual knowledge is not sufficient for survival

of a group, it is necessary to have knowledge about the other elements of it.

"Social cooperation is a key piece of survival and reproduction. It is not enough for a man or a woman to know the whereabouts of a lion or a bison. It is far more important that they know who hates who in the group, who is sleeping with who, who is honest, and who is a traitor," Harari says.

This information will have, according to the author, allowed the early days of mankind to not only survive but expand their tribes. This kind of information allowed humans to forge friendships and hierarchies, which consequently leads to the creation of a social order and cooperation that separates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom.

Since this characteristic is so vital, it is determined that our brain is already structured to help us improve this technique.

Another study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identifies that part of the brain as ATL, where all social information is gathered.

"ATL plays an important role in the memory of biographical information about a person," explains one of the authors of the study.

According to NYM, gossip is an intrinsic part of the human being. It makes people a highly participatory species with complex social structures. Any business or community works much better if everyone knows who is who.

Why do we like gossip so much? Are we bad people? No. Social scientists have discovered that the practice is an evolutionary adaptation.

"We're descended from people who were good at it," says Frank McAndrew, professor of psychology at Knox College in Walesburg, Illinois.

According to him, "in prehistoric times, people fascinated by other people's lives were more successful.

The expert on human social behavior and gossip explains that to thrive in cave times, one had to know what was happening to the people around us: 'Who has power?

Gossip is good for your health. And they still accuse the newspapers of only giving bad news. This is fantastic, and works as a balm for all women who like to talk so much around the coffee table, or do not dispense, for nothing in this world, the daily phone call with their sister, in which they review the main events of the day, weave complicity and, of course, cut into the jacket of whoever is "asking for it".

The authors of this revelation, which will erase the glimmer of guilt that was still associated with these conversations, are the scientists of the University of Michigan.

The study, published by the London Daily Mail, which had 160 university students as guinea pigs, states that conversations that strengthen intimacy and strengthen relations are the best natural anxiolytic ever invented. This is because they lead to the production of progesterone, a hormone that reduces anguish and stress and has the power to make women happier, with better sleep, denser bones, besides being physically much healthier.

In practice, scientists have divided these girls into pairs.

Some were asked to ask each other personal questions, while others were asked to review a botanical work. Twenty minutes later, levels of progresterone were measured in some and others, to conclude that those who had indulged in "small talk" had higher levels of the welfare hormone, while the poor forced to correct an academic text had seen the presence of this chemical in the blood decrease.

If you think that these conversations can be replaced by the ingestion of a few pills, you are mistaken. The perfect balance can only be achieved if we involve ourselves with others, or if we practise altruistic gestures that bring us closer to others.

Only those genuine connections are all powerful when it comes to finding the perfect balance. So don't hesitate. Pick up the phone and make an appointment for lunch with your best friends now, or take a break to go cut the boss's coat. That works, too.