Dr Kathryn Waddington, Work and Organisational Psychologist at the University of Westminster, spoke on BBC Radio Scotland about the positives and negatives of gossip, why people do it and what purpose it serves.
Dr Waddington was joined by Dr Derek Browning, Minister at Morningside Church in Edinburgh, to discuss why people gossip and whether gossiping can have a positive side.
She explains how gossip is an evolutionary activity, beginning as a way for people to learn about others, to help them know who to trust and who to steer clear of. Yet over time it has evolved to the modern day, where worldwide it can be seen in many different forms, some innocent and others harmful.
On the topic she said: “It is not black and white. A term that I have used in my research is the good the bad and the toxic, which in itself is quite a simplification but I think that the kind of moral negative attributes to gossip, which are certainly there and certainly bad, have overshadowed the potential positive side of gossip.”
Listen to the full interview on BBC iPlayer.
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