Great news for Page Six fans: Gossiping may give you an evolutionary advantage, research suggests.
Next time you start worrying that it’s somehow unbecoming to dish on the details of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding — or a juicy rumor about a colleague — know that researchers in Poland found that indulging in a bit of tea time is actually good for you.
Those engaging in the rumor mill were more likely to have both a romantic relationship and more kids, suggesting that these behaviors have a small reproductive advantage.
Social psychologist Dr. Marcin Moroń, PhD, looked less at the fun, harmless kind of gossip (Have you heard who Karamo Brown hooked up with?) and more at the darker side of it (Did you see what Nicola Peltz posted about Harper Beckham?)
He found that by damaging a rival’s rep, a gossip might get them to stop competing for the same romantic partners. With an emptier playing field, they might have more options and a higher chance of landing a great catch.
There are two key strategies. Self-promotion, or signaling physical attractiveness or good qualities — think, posting a thirst trap; and rival derogation: tearing down others, discouraging them to compete for your crush — i.e. gossip.
They might also give the silent treatment, backhanded compliments or teasing, and/or excluding others, to hurt others while elevating themselves.
This underhanded maneuvering is a form of aggression, which humans have evolved to use to compete for limited resources, find a good mate, ward off enemies and secure a good social position.
To be clear: Everyone does it. One study found a person spends an hour a day talking about others, on average.
And people love to be brought in on juicy information, cooperating with gossipers rather than deny them, a study from 2024 found.
Gossip and other shady behavior allows a person to maximize harm to another person while avoiding basically all danger to themselves, researchers in another study said. The gossiper can also remain anonymous or be difficult to identify, making it hard for them to face consequences.
There’s a lot we know about other benefits of being in the know. If there’s a secret shared between two people (positive, negative, or neutral) it brings them together, and might even increase fondness for that person.
Gossip can be a way to vent or let off steam. If a person witnessed something bad, talking about it made them feel better.
Another factor at play: self-esteem. By shading others, research suggests people who love to spill tea also feel better about themselves. This was observed to be like junk food for the gossiper: feels good in the short term, but not so great over time. It leads them to repeat the cycle.
Because it’s related to a person’s craftiness and risk taking, gossiping might even increase their creativity.
Researchers in the new Polish study also examined this kind of aggression, but directed at a romantic partner, rather than other people in a group. Manipulating a partner could stabilize a relationship, they found, and predict more kids together.
