Why Do People Gossip? A Quick Look at the Dark Side of Chit-Chat

Intro

You may think of gossip as harmless, but it’s been shown to have devastating effects on employees and teams in the workplace, including reduced productivity, low morale, and loss of loyalty.Don’t believe us? Here are just a few of the detrimental effects that gossip can have on organizations and their employees

Outlines:

* How to Avoid Gossiping

* The Consequences of Unnecessary Chatter

* Ways to Stop Yourself from Being a Negative Nelly

* How To Stop Others From Spreading Rumors

* conclusion

How to Avoid Gossiping:

There are many ways to avoid gossiping, but a few examples can include staying away from those

who are conversation backbiters or intentionally avoiding small talk. If you do not feel like you can be

committed to being in control of your tongue and this habit, consider finding a trusted friend with whom

you can have constructive conversations or religious support to help walk alongside you on this journey.

Don't allow yourself to fall into bad habits and patterns by holding to what your values are. Value each person individually, and their stories, and make it your goal not to engage in gossiping. The truth is: that when we hurt people verbally through what we say behind their backs, it hurts them way more than if we were direct with them upfront about our frustrations and disagreements. It's hard to listen to someone speak negatively about someone else, but take note that there are always two sides to every story. It might sound good for us when we gossip about others because it makes us feel better about ourselves as if there is something wrong with them and not us (which could also be an issue). But overall, gossiping doesn't make us any happier or better off; in fact, studies show that gossiping may cause mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. And even worse yet-- gossip can lead to full-blown bullying behaviors! When the line between opinionated commentary and backbiting begins to blur for us, that's usually a sign that it's time for us to stop talking altogether.

   

The Consequences of Unnecessary Chatter:

Gossip, conversations, and discussions often do not affect anything. But these unnecessary talks are not without consequence. One may feel they are relieving themselves from work or sharing their thoughts with a peer, but in reality, it may just be a long conversation about unimportant topics. It is never good to build up negative thoughts or feelings for oneself or others by constantly engaging in meaningless talk about people behind their backs. This can lead to backbiting, malicious criticism, and even isolation from society which can eventually lead to mental anguish or low self-esteem. One should always be mindful of how one speaks to oneself and others because words are meaningful and hold power in every situation!

Ways to Stop Yourself from Being a Negative Nelly:

Here are a few quick things to think about when you're considering whether or not to share something. 
# Don't assume it will be received well and assume the worst-case scenario. If you know that you are prone to getting easily offended by other people's opinions, it might be best to avoid certain conversations altogether. 
# Just because someone is talkative doesn't mean they're any less sensitive than you, so stop making judgments and share what you want with them. 
# Instead of backbiting (talking about someone behind their back), ask them how they feel first if that's an option. And don't make assumptions--they might appreciate being asked how they feel! Most people are flattered when others show interest in their thoughts and feelings. After all, most people like talking about themselves! But there are some instances were talking about another person can do more harm than good.
# Sometimes conversations turn into gossiping sessions where we disparage another person without regard for the consequences to either party. Though we may feel good for the moment, later on, we might regret what we said and have nothing but guilt over our actions. When this happens, take time to reflect on your actions before proceeding with future conversations.
# Sometimes backbiting occurs as a result of long discussions between friends who find themselves disagreeing over different topics which eventually leads one friend to gossip about their friend who disagrees with them.

How To Stop Others From Spreading Rumors:

You've probably heard that gossiping is bad. But what is it? Simply put, gossiping is a casual  conversation about another person. The context of the conversation may be positive or negative, but one thing that can be for sure about gossiping is that people tend to exaggerate details. It's understandable how conversations can get juicy with each other and we may enjoy chatting in this way, but when someone starts talking about us behind our backs, it may not feel very good. That person's long talk just turned into backbiting because they're not saying it to our faces. In their opinion, they're doing nothing wrong. In reality, gossiping is usually seen as something wrong even if there are some instances where it's seen as acceptable. If someone tries to gossip about you, politely tell them you don't want to hear anything negative and walk away from the conversation or hang up on them if they're calling you on the phone.

conclusion:

Sometimes, there's no use for long talks and discussions. Conversations are meant to enlighten people, not backbite or gossip about others behind their backs. The best conversations help people feel happy and informed about life - these don't involve damaging anyone else's reputation for fun or profit. The conversation is only worth something when it's used to help someone see things from a different perspective or gain knowledge that they can apply in the future. There are many reasons why people gossip - insecurity, jealousy, insecurity - but never forget that good conversation does not need dark side behaviors like backbiting and gossip. If you want to be talkative and discussion-driven, then make sure your conversations are used for the betterment of others rather than harm.