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An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

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When and why does gossip increase prosocial behavior?

Annika S Nieper¹, Bianca Beersma¹, Maria T M Dijkstra¹

¹Department of Organization Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Current Opinion in Psychology

|December 7, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Gossip can promote prosocial behavior when it is accurate and targets are interdependent with receivers. Anticipating gossip, rather than experiencing it, also boosts helpful actions.

Keywords:

Accuracy Experienced Gossip Interdependence Prosocial behavior Reputational concern Threat of gossip

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Area of Science:

Social Psychology
Behavioral Science

Background:

Prosocial behavior is crucial for societal functioning.
Gossip, or information exchange about absent others, is theorized to increase prosociality, but empirical evidence is mixed.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and synthesize research on the relationship between gossip and prosocial behavior.
To reconcile conflicting findings and identify conditions under which gossip promotes positive social actions.

Main Methods:

Systematic literature review of studies examining gossip and prosocial behavior.
Analysis of moderating factors influencing the gossip-prosociality link.

Main Results:

Gossip enhances prosocial behavior when it is accurate.
The prosocial impact of gossip is stronger when targets are interdependent with gossip receivers.
Anticipation of gossip, rather than its actual occurrence, is more strongly linked to increased prosociality.

Conclusions:

Gossip's effect on prosocial behavior is conditional, depending on accuracy, target-receiver interdependence, and anticipation.
Understanding these conditions is key to leveraging gossip for desirable social outcomes and avoiding unintended negative consequences.