Social Isolation

Sharing secrets is one way people bond, so avoiding gossip may lead to social isolation. Someone skillful at gossip can be socially informed and have a good rapport with others. On the other hand, someone who doesn’t gossip may become an outsider, neither trusted nor accepted by the group. 

Gossip also helps to integrate newcomers into groups by exposing group norms and values.

Our interest in celebrities may feed off of this thirst for learning life strategies.

Our fixation on celebrities is reflective of an innate interest in the lives of others and an artificial sense of familiarity which tricks us into thinking they are important to us. But th...