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"There's
nothing I enjoy more than gossiping at the water cooler. Whenever
I discover something "juicy" about someone's personal life, I can't
wait to share the dirt with others. I tend to have great difficulty
with keeping secrets."
Sound like you? Most of us have gossiped about others at least once in our lives, but
there are those who thrive on it. If you can't wait to share the
"latest" with others, you do so for one or more of the following
reasons:
1. The misdeeds of others gives you an opportunity to feel better about your own behavior, which you might not be proud of.
2. Directing the focus away from yourself and discussing the lives of others is preferable to your own situation.
3. Gossiping can give you a sense of power. You have information that no one else has, and you feel a sense of authority sharing this information with others. Others may come to you for the latest information, making you feel wanted.
4. Sometimes negative feelings about yourself can manifest themselves into unkind gossip about others.
1. The misdeeds of others gives you an opportunity to feel better about your own behavior, which you might not be proud of.
2. Directing the focus away from yourself and discussing the lives of others is preferable to your own situation.
3. Gossiping can give you a sense of power. You have information that no one else has, and you feel a sense of authority sharing this information with others. Others may come to you for the latest information, making you feel wanted.
4. Sometimes negative feelings about yourself can manifest themselves into unkind gossip about others.
Here are some suggestions to help curb your gossiping, if it's got out of hand:
1. Forget about past mistakes and forgive yourself for them. If you're feeling shame or guilt for your past behavior, don't let it control your current behavior; we've all behaved in ways we're not proud of. To put these incidents to rest, try to write them out on paper, then burn it.
2. Try to shift your focus from the mundane to the sublime. Avoid movies, tabloid newspapers, and television shows that sensationalize the baser aspects of human behavior. Instead, read stories about inspirational people, or see movies, plays, and cultural events that elevate the human spirit.
3. Practice self restraint. Great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about things, and small minds talk about people. The next time you feel the urge to gossip, ask yourself "Who will benefit from this?" If it's not the person you're talking to or the person you're speaking about, don't do it.
All of these methods are strong medicine, but if you do any of them even once, you're well on your way to getting rid of the habit permanently!
1. Forget about past mistakes and forgive yourself for them. If you're feeling shame or guilt for your past behavior, don't let it control your current behavior; we've all behaved in ways we're not proud of. To put these incidents to rest, try to write them out on paper, then burn it.
2. Try to shift your focus from the mundane to the sublime. Avoid movies, tabloid newspapers, and television shows that sensationalize the baser aspects of human behavior. Instead, read stories about inspirational people, or see movies, plays, and cultural events that elevate the human spirit.
3. Practice self restraint. Great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about things, and small minds talk about people. The next time you feel the urge to gossip, ask yourself "Who will benefit from this?" If it's not the person you're talking to or the person you're speaking about, don't do it.
All of these methods are strong medicine, but if you do any of them even once, you're well on your way to getting rid of the habit permanently!
Why Do I Like To Gossip So Much?
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