Gossip

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5082866/Men-spend-more-time-gossiping-than-women-poll-finds.html

A recent study has found that women are no longer chief gossipers! Men have taken the lead according to research printed in the guardian, but is this another sign of men becoming more feminine or an indication of men using gossip as a method of boosting their own egos and denting others.

The stats that really caught my eye was that a third of men are happiest when chatting with work colleagues while 58% admitted that gossiping made them feel 'part of the gang.' This interested me as it is always clear when a group of men are together that they are eager to be centre of attention, to be powerful in the group and to be heard. In a male group discussion, there is much interrupting and a high volume. Men have an open drive to be popular and be held in high regard, so it is interesting to hear that they see gossiping as the key to allow them to do this, particularly in the work place where you may be with people who aren't all necessarily your friends and who you are eager to be respected by.

Also a good read, is both sexes top 10 gossip topics. Women have a clear desire to discuss the lives of other people as seen with the inclusion of other women and their partners, peoples relationships, a friends weight gain, the mother-in-law and celebrities. Men on the other hand focus more on work and their standings (promotions, salaries, boss), mischief (spreading rumours, drunken friends) and of course, sex (female colleagues, sexiest female at work).

Gossip allows us to interact with each other and is a tool often used to criticise others and therefore make us appear better and of higher regard. It also gives us a chance to show off our knowledge, therefore increasing our popularity as everyone wants to know the person in the know! It may not be the nicest way to become popular but in this life, it's survival of the fittest.