As they evolved, however, clans became larger, and grooming became less useful as a social adhesive. It just took too much time to keep up with a hundred or more pals via nit-picking. Dunbar believes gossip has contributed a great deal to the course of our evolution. It's a means of maintaining order in larger groups. For some people, gossiping is a way of furthering conversations that seem to be going nowhere, said Mike McDonough, a senior broadcast journalism major at Syracuse University.
People use it all the time to keep the conversation going.
Others believe gossip's allure stems from having an advantage over another person or group. This mode of blather can potentially improve the physical and mental well-being of individuals who partake in it, according to research by Harvard scientists published in the June 1996 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Not only are they less prone to depression, they are also less likely to die of heart disease. For example, if you were to have a yelling session with your boyfriend or girlfriend, the prior information you disclosed about your partner to your friends may give them an inadvertent bias. This situation, in turn, could improve your emotional well-being and make you less likely to be depressed.