WEBVTT

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I have some gossip for you.

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Raise your hand if you're a gossiper.

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(Cheering)

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Oh, I see quite a few brave people.

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Terrific!

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Do you think gossip is mostly
nonsense and idle talk?

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Do you think gossip is a sin?

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Do you think gossip is harmful, hostile?

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Do you think gossip is mostly
about celebrities?

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What's your opinion about Miley Cyrus?

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(Laughter)

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If you answered "yes,"

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I'm going to destroy
common myths about gossip.

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Yes, I know that all major religions
prohibit or discourage gossip.

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It's a paradox that
almost everyone gossips.

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Fortunately, gossip benefits the gossiper,

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the listener, the group and our society.

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In my career in media
and public relations,

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I learned the value of gossip.

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I've written 23 books,

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including Webster's New World Dictionary
of Media and Communications.

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(Applause)

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Thank you.

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(Applause)

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I also write under the name
of Stephen King.

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(Laughter)

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Most dictionaries define gossip

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with such words as
"informal conversation,"

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"idle talk," "rumor."

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"Idle talk" - I don’t like that.

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Here's my definition:

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Gossip is a written or spoken conversation

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about the private lives of other people.

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(Laughter)

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Usually judgmental,

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gossip often provides a moral barometer.

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Many dictionaries
equate gossip with rumor.

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There is a big difference.

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Gossip usually has an identifiable source.

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Rumors usually do not.

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Gossip usually has a basis in truth.

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Rumors usually are false.

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We now are in a gossip boom,

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with more than a billion people gossiping
on Facebook and other blogs,

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gossiping in person, talking and texting
on the phone and other media.

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Scientists around the world
are studying how and why we gossip.

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We've been gossiping long before blogs,
TV, newspapers and magazines.

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Cavemen needed gossip for their survival.

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Cavemen used gossip to find friends,

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avoid enemies

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and locate the best places for food,
hunting and protection.

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"And what's with that woman
in the next cave?"

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(Laughter)

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Social networks existed

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ever since early villagers found
common interests with their neighbors.

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Online social networks are the new tribes.

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When four psychologists
at the University of California, Berkeley

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reported recently
that gossiping has major benefits,

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media around the world
pressed the "like" button.

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In the experiments,

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students were hooked up
to heart rate monitors

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to measure the effects of gossip.

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It was front-page news

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because it contradicted
the long-held belief that gossip is bad.

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Everyone gossips.

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It's so natural we're hardly aware of it.

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(Laughter)

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About half of our
conversation time is gossip.

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There's no avoiding it.

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We gossip mostly about people we know.

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Only a small part is about famous people,
which is what the media concentrate on.

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Much of our gossip is positive or neutral.

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Gossip about celebrities is more negative.

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Gossip reduces stress,

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boosts self-esteem,

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(Laughter)

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bonds friendship -

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(Laughter)

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and these are all data from
the University of California psychologists

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who report in a scientific journal -

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fuels the stock market,

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influences voting,

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and changes the way we see people
and how they see us.

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Infants as young as six months
can judge character

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and detect differences
between good and bad behavior.

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We start gossiping
soon after we learn to talk.

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Women were once associated with gossip.

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Men gossip as much as women,

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(Applause)

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but in different ways and places.

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Men gossip more about people

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associated with sports, politics and sex.

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Progesterone is a hormone in women

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that reduces anxiety
and enhances friendship.

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While gossiping,

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women have a slightly higher level
of progesterone than non-gossipers -

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again from a scientific journal.

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Scientists are studying
the increased flow of pleasure hormones

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during gossiping

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and identifying specific sites
in the brain associated with gossip

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and specific hormones:

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dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin.

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Oxytocin boosts contentment,
generosity, empathy and trust,

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all potential components of gossip.

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Active gossipers
have bigger brains, no kidding.

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(Laughter)

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Individuals with big social networks,

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gossipers,

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have a slightly larger
prefrontal cortex area of their brains.

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Gossip thrives in small towns
and isolated areas.

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In totalitarian countries, gossip often
is more accurate than government reports.

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In our country, gossip is a way of life

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in college fraternities and sororities,

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military housing,

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assisted living facilities and prisons.

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It's an easy language to use with people
of similar lifestyle and interests,

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such as neighbors, athletes,
students and workers.

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It's a way to convey personal information

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accurately, efficiently and enjoyably.

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Here's a surprise:

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some companies prohibit gossip
in their offices.

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Most are small companies.

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Recent studies indicate
the harm created by anti-gossip rules.

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About 60 years ago,

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America's number one gossiper
was Walter Winchell.

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His gossip column was
in more than a thousand newspapers.

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His radio and TV audiences
were greater than any program today.

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Now, Paris Hilton, Gorka, TMZ

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and other digital media
convey celebrity gossip

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throughout the day and night
around the world.

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Also important are the gossip magazines

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such as People, Star, Us
and many, many others

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and the supermarket tabloids
such as the National Enquirer.

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My mission today

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has been to convince you
that gossip has many benefits.

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It's possible that other animals gossip:

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chimpanzees and maybe dolphins.

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I have three points.

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One, gossip is good, so spread the word.

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(Laughter)

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Two, be comfortable as a gossiper.

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(Laughter)

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Three, don't criticize other gossipers.

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(Laughter)

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(Applause)

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Thank you and good night.

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(Laughter)

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Honestly now,

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raise your hand if you're a gossiper.

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(Laughter)

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Seems to me I see more hands
up now than before.

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(Laughter)

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By the way, have you heard that ...

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(Applause)