Pope Francis recently warned gossip “fills the heart with bitterness and also poisons us”. But a new study suggests that gossiping may in fact be good for our self-esteem because it allows us to compare ourselves to others.

Dutch researchers have found hearing positive and negative gossip about another individual boosts self-reflection and self-evaluation. But they added that stories about others need to be treated with a “critical attitude” about the impact it may have.

Elena Martinescu at the University of Groningen said: “Women who receive negative gossip experience higher self-protection concerns possibly because they believe they might experience a similar fate as the person being the target of the gossip. Men who receive positive gossip experience higher fear, perhaps because upward social comparisons with competitors are threatening.”

Professor Martinescu added gossip provided individuals with indirect social comparison information and provides an essential resource to reflect on their behavior. She suggested rather than trying to block out gossip, we should “accept gossip as a natural part of our lives and receive it with a critical attitude regarding the consequences it may have on ourselves and on others.”

The study explored the effect positive and negative gossip had on how the recipient evaluates him or herself. The study asked participants to recall an incident where they received either positive or negative gossip about another individual and then were asked questions to measure the self-improvement, self-promotion, and self-protection value of the received gossip information.

Individuals that received positive gossip had increased self-improvement value, whereas negative gossip had increased self-promotion value and self-protection concerns.

“For example, hearing positive stories about others may be informative, because they suggest ways to improve oneself,” Professor Martinescu said. “Hearing negative gossip may be flattering, because it suggests that others may function less well than we do. However, negative gossip may also be threatening to the self, because it suggests a harmful social environment in which one may easily fall victim to negative treatments.”

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1.What is mainly talked about in this passage?

A Gossip makes people feel bitter and is harmful to them.

B Gossip helps increase people’s self-promotion.

C Hearing gossip increases people’s self-esteem.

D Gossip is an essential reflection of people’s behavior.

解析：选C。C 主旨大意题。根据文章第一段…may in fact be good for our self-esteem可知，本文将介绍流言对人们自尊的好处的研究情况。

2.What is the possible reaction of women when they hear negative gossip?

A They feel that they need to do more to protect themselves.

B They feel bitter about the fate of the person of the gossip.

C They feel threatened by strong competition from the society.

D They feel happy as they find others doing less well than they do.

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据文章第三段Women who receive negative gossip experience higher self-protection concerns可知，听到负面流言的妇女可能增加对于自我保护的担忧。

3.What is Prof. Martinescu’s advice on gossip?

A We should keep ourselves off gossip.

B We should feel happy when hearing a negative gossip.

C We should accept gossip with a critical attitude.

D We should be careful in case we easily fall victim of a gossip.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第四段She suggested rather than trying to block out gossip, we should “accept gossip as a natural part of our lives…” 可知，玛丁讷斯库教授建议人们接受流言，但要以批判的态度把它们作为生活的一部分。

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A People rely on gossip to find ways to protect themselves.

B Social environment causes people to fall victim of gossip.

C Gossip makes people feel more confident about themselves.

D Study proves that gossip is a good thing for people to accept.

解析：选B。B 推理判断题。根据文章第七段…it suggests a harmful social environment in which one may easily fall victim to negative…判断，每况愈下的社会环境使人们成为负面流言的受害者。

5.Why does negative gossip lead to increased self-protection concerns?

A They come to realize that the social environment is harmful.

B They are aware of the fact that others don’t function as well as they do.

C The social competition is very tough and they have to improve themselves.

D It reminds people of their likeliness to fall victim to negative gossip.

解析：选D。D 细节理解题。根据文章第七段可知，负面流言让人们意识到社会环境很糟糕，他们有可能也同样成为负面流言的受害者，因此才产生了对自我保护的担忧。