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If you're worried about being perceived as a gossip, then you can relax.聽 researchers have found that, actually, gossiping can help聽a person develop a better understanding of their society鈥檚 expected behaviours.

Dr Kim Peters聽and聽Professor Jolanda Jetten聽of the聽UQ School of Psychology聽have studied gossiping about deviant actions and found that it provides people with a clearer sense of what is typical and appropriate behaviour.

Professor Jetten said gossip has a wider range of social consequences, as can be seen in the current sexual harassment allegations in the American entertainment industry and the resulting聽#MeToo聽stories on social media.

鈥淕ossiping allows us to monitor the reputations of other people, and by learning about their behaviours we are in a better position to decide whether we should, or should not, trust them in the future,鈥� Professor Jetten said.

鈥淭he gossip about Harvey Weinstein has undoubtedly had negative consequences for him, such as the loss of his job and expulsion from a number of prestigious film societies, but it may also have had consequences for all of us who participated in it.

鈥淎mong other things, there seems to be an emerging consensus that sexual harassment at work is more common than many of us may have supposed and that it should definitely not be tolerated.

鈥淲hen investigating the consequences of deviance for social change, it is important to consider the essential role that our daily gossip may play.鈥�

However, the authors are not suggesting that all gossiping is beneficial;聽it can also be harmful and contribute to bullying and harassment.聽

The study is published in聽.

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