The Science of Gossip: Why We Can't Stop Ourselves

sciam.com — In recent years researchers have turned to the study of gossip—our predilection for talking about people who are not present. Why is news about others so irresistible? As it turns out, gossip serves a useful social function in bonding group members together. Our modern-day infatuation with celebrities reveals the evolutionary psychology of gossip. Oct 1, 2008 View in Crawl 4