US EditionResearch reveals this type of person loves to be gossiped about
- American and German researchers led by psychology professor Andrew Hales conducted a study in 2025 to understand whether people prefer being talked about or ignored.
- The study emerged from decades of research on ostracism showing that even subtle exclusion threatens basic psychological needs, with Hales collaborating with Dr. Meltem Yucel and Professor Selma Rudert.
- The team ran five experiments involving over 1,000 participants examining preferences for gossip, finding that gender and narcissism strongly predict a desire to be the focus of gossip, including negative gossip.
- Approximately 85% of individuals disapprove of negative gossip, while about 64% appreciate positive gossip; nonetheless, nearly one-third feel uneasy even about positive remarks. According to Hales, being the subject of favorable gossip is generally preferred over experiencing negative talk.
- The research suggests gossip serves social functions by maintaining fairness when shared thoughtfully, and people generally dislike being ignored yet feel ambivalent about being the gossip focus, especially narcissists who prefer attention over invisibility.
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One in Seven People Would Rather Be Badmouthed Than Ignored, Study Finds
It turns out that not being talked about might be worse than being the target of gossip, even when the chatter isn’t exactly flattering. A new study has revealed that 15% of people — about one in seven — would rather be trash-talked behind their backs than not mentioned at all. Yes, even negative attention is better than no attention, according to some. RELATED: The Most Common Toxic Workplace Behaviours in 2025 When Gossip Isn’t All Bad Researc…
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