Women are known for their gossiping. It’s a common joke, we hear about fights that are caused by gossip, men say they can’t stand it when women chat about other women. A new book is out that claims it is an ingrained part of a woman to gossip. Duels and Duets author John L. Locke, a professor of linguistics, told Salon.com: ‘The word gossip has a pejorative sound to it, but with it, women are, in a sense, servicing the moral code of the community. Women tend to call out other women who are bad mothers, have loose morals, or are different than most women in the community. ‘Those things are all threats to each woman in a community; therefore they have every good reason to want to talk about those things.’
Locke claims that men insult each other in playful ways to each other. Men are more likely to invoke physical altercations. He argues that girls are more likely to comment to friends about another person’s appearance rather than tell them to their faces. Girls are more likely to use gossip as a bonding experience. ‘When women are dueting and trading in intimate disclosures about themselves and their friends, they’re fortifying a relationship. Women trust women who share deep secrets, it’s a way to know who your real friends are.
One aspect in the book, speech differences in the sexes, is interesting. He claimes that women prefer men who speak with low voices, indicating testosterone levels and assertiveness. Men also tend to use bigger words to impress the opposite sex. Locke said: ‘Words used in a clever way are almost like the colorful feathers of a peacock, a display of what biologists would call fitness information that relates to their ability to reproduce.’
Do you think that a certain level of gossip is good for women and the community?
