Why do people gossip?

[Anonymous]

My guy best friend left a group of man friends because the guys were always acting dramatic and gossiping about their female friends; and it drove him nuts.

[Oliverlogan263]

You know, gossiping can be a real problem sometimes. I think people do it for a few different reasons, none of them really good. Some folks just like feeling important by being "in the know" about other people's business. It makes them feel cool to share rumors or secrets, even if they aren't always true. Other times I think people gossip because they're unhappy with their own lives and want to bring others down to their level. Might be that putting others down secretly makes them feel better about themselves.

There's also a herd mentality to it I've noticed. When a group gets together and starts chatting about someone else, it's easy to get sucked in and add your two cents even if you don't really have anything good to say. You want to fit in and be liked so you go with the flow. But really all that does it spread more negativity.

Your friend had the right idea to remove himself from those guys. Being around that kind of gossip all the time can really bring you down and make you paranoid about what others might say about you too. It's best to surround yourself with people who lift you up and don't feel the need to tear others down for fun. At the end of the day, what really matters is how you treat people and that you can feel good about the kind of friend you are.

[KrakenAttackin]

Yeah sure... he was hanging around effeminate men. Most men don't talk about their relationships to other men.

[californianjoe]

real men don't gossip

[Anonymous]

Immaturity, low quality.