Study: Men Engage In Just As Much 'Tear-Down' Gossip As Women

(CBS Local/WCCO) -- A new study finds men engage in just as much negative gossip as women.

The study -- from the University of California, Riverside – took data from 467 people, and looked at many factors of gossip: who gossips the most, what topics they gossip about, and how often they gossip.

According to the study, women do indeed gossip more than men, but only in neutral, information-sharing gossip. Both men and women were found to gossip just as much when it comes to negative subjects.

Other findings include: younger people engage in more negative gossip than older adults, three-fourths of gossip was neutral, but negative gossip was twice as prevalent as positive.

The study also found poorer, less educated people don't gossip more than wealthier, better-educated people.

The overwhelming takeaway from the study is that everyone gossips, and that "gossip is ubiquitous".

A new #UCR study finds that people gossip an average of 52 minutes a day. Here are seven other facts you probably didn't know about gossip. @UCR_CHASS_Dean https://t.co/rPFcT3K7Xg

— UC Riverside (@UCRiverside) May 5, 2019