Gossip in Evolutionary Perspective

TLDR

Conversation is a uniquely human phenomenon, with about two thirds of freely forming conversation devoted to social topics commonly labeled gossip. The article investigates gossip’s origins as a bonding mechanism rooted in primate social grooming and examines its role in human interaction, proposing that beyond networking it may help control free riders. The author reviews evolutionary evidence linking gossip to primate grooming, analyzes its function in human social networks, and discusses how social cognition facilitates such conversations.

Abstract

Conversation is a uniquely human phenomenon. Analyses of freely forming conversations indicate that approximately two thirds of conversation time is devoted to social topics, most of which can be given the generic label gossip. This article first explores the origins of gossip as a mechanism for bonding social groups, tracing these origins back to social grooming among primates. It then asks why social gossip in this sense should form so important a component of human interaction and presents evidence to suggest that, aside from servicing social networks, a key function may be related explicitly to controlling free riders. Finally, the author reviews briefly the role of social cognition in facilitating conversations of this kind.