5 Ways to Curb Your Child's Gossip Habit

Science Daily shared a recent study, conducted by the University of California, which cited that people gossip 52 minutes a day on average. Younger people are more prone to partake in gossip than older folks. If gossip’s got you down, Mighty Mommy has 5 ways you can help your child curb this bad habit and get on a more positive track.

Another school year is over, and I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to a less hectic and much less scheduled couple of months. My 13-year old daughter, however, isn’t seeing it that way. She's already fretting about not getting to see her friends as much now that everyone’s on vacation.

Quite frankly, I was a little surprised that she isn’t ready for a break. This year was packed with a bit more teen drama than she’s experienced in years past. But she’s already missing the daily chatter she encountered at school. While banter is normal—it's a lifeline to the social circles teens whirl about in—unfortunately, so is gossip. And it's often a culprit behind all that teen drama.

Gossip Can Be a Strong Social Skill  

Although gossip usually has negative connotations, that’s not always the case. Many studies have been done about the psychology of gossip, and we've learned that it's a highly evolved social skill dating back to prehistoric days.

People who were the best at harnessing their social intelligence to interpret, predict—and influence—the behavior of others became more successful than those who were not.

Psychology Today’s article, Gossip Is a Social Skill, Not a Character Flaw, Dr. Frank T. McAndrew explained how gossip is a survival tool. “According to scientists, because our prehistoric ancestors lived in relatively small groups, they knew one another intimately. In order to ward off enemies and survive in their harsh natural environment, our ancestors needed to cooperate with in-group members. But they also recognized that these same in-group members were their main competitors for mates and limited resources.”  He adds, “People who were the best at harnessing their social intelligence to interpret, predict—and influence—the behavior of others became more successful than those who were not.”

Not All Gossip is Bad

This same article says that the art of gossiping provides a strong skillset in the workplace and other social settings like school. Good gossipers are influential and popular...

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