The guilty pleasure we all have that can help relieve stress and anxiety

As much as we all try to deny it, most of us love a good old gossip from time to time.

While gossiping is often labelled as spiteful and malicious, dishing the dirt with colleagues and friends can actually have hidden benefits – as long as you aren’t the one being gossiped about.

A study conducted by scientists at Stanford University in America found that gossiping helped build stronger friendships and reduced stress among participants.

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The experiment, published in Psychological Science, involved 216 participants who were divided into groups.

In an experiment, researchers found that participants who witnessed someone else behaving badly experienced stress and an increased heart rate.

Warning others about what they saw, however, lessened the effect.

The researchers also found that gossiping helped encourage cooperation and teamwork among the group.

When participants learned about the behaviour of others through gossip, they often used this information to align with those deemed cooperative.

Psychologist Kathryn Waddington, author of Gossip, Organisation and Work, agrees with the findings of the study.

“Gossip is a way of expressing emotions, both positive and negative, a way of letting off steam and an emotional reaction to perceived social injustice,” she says.

“So it’s no surprise that studies have found it also reduces our stress levels.”