Research on why humans co-operate with each other has revealed that
gossip influences our opinions of people even when it contradicts the
evidence of our own eyes.
A recent report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences described an experiment involving 126 students, who played a
game in which they could either co-operate with each other or cheat
on each other. Between the rounds of the game they were permitted to
spread rumours about the behaviour of the other students. This gossip
had a significant effect on players' perception of each other even if
it ran counter to what they had themselves seen. Rumours that a
player had cheated had a marked effect on the attitude of other
players. The researchers explained this as a fear that a 'busybody'
might know something others had missed and would trust this rather
than their own judgment. Conversely, rumours that a player was
helpful stimulated better co-operation.
<http://philosophynow.org/issue64/64news.htm>Link
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Posted By johannes to
<http://www.monochrom.at/english/2007/12/power-of-gossip.htm>monochrom
at 12/19/2007 11:46:00 AM
