Your Mind May Surprisingly Excel in Spreading Rumors, Unveiling Unexpected Abilities in Gossiping
A new study conducted by cognitive neuroscientists at Brown University has shed light on the strategic nature of human gossip, challenging the common conception of gossip as mere idle chatter. The study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, found that people gossip most to popular yet distantly connected individuals, demonstrating a hidden computational power in the human brain.
The researchers, led by a team at Brown University, tested their theory on approximately 200 first-year students living in campus residence halls. The study participants were asked about their friendships and a subset of 100 participants were asked to judge the likelihood of gossip dissemination.
The study's findings revealed that people perform complex computational processes when deciding to spread gossip. They instinctively weigh two key factors: the popularity of the person they might tell and their social distance from the subject of the gossip. Specifically, people tend to gossip less with those who are close friends of the gossip subject—especially if that subject is popular—and more with those who are popular but distantly connected to the subject.
This strategy allows gossip to spread widely through social networks while significantly minimizing the risk that the subject of the gossip will find out about it prematurely or at all. The researchers describe this as a "winning algorithm" that balances the desire to share information broadly with the need to avoid social repercussions.
The brain automatically performs these computations based on social network knowledge and personal relationships, effectively predicting the information cascade without conscious effort. This mental modeling is so sophisticated it mirrors the algorithms used by social media platforms to maximize viral content spread while controlling audience targeting based on influence and connectivity.
To further explore this phenomenon, the researchers collaborated with Matt Nassar, an assistant professor of neuroscience, to create a computational model of how the brain predicts gossip movement through social networks. The model suggests that the brain compresses observed social interactions into a simplified map of the network to make educated guesses about who will hear what, even when people are several steps removed from each other.
The study's findings were published in Nature Human Behaviour under the title "Knowledge of information cascades through social networks facilitates strategic gossip." The research was supported by a federal grant from the National Science Foundation (2123469).
In essence, our brains function as social "computers" that calculate the safest and most effective pathways for gossip transmission, helping us navigate complex social landscapes by controlling who hears what, thereby preserving relationships and reputations. This hidden computational power underpins a deeply strategic form of information sharing that maximizes reach while minimizing risk.
- The new study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, highlights the strategic nature of human gossip, a finding collected by cognitive scientists at Brown University.
- The researchers, led by an academic team at Brown University, suggest that our brains perform complex computational processes when deciding to spread gossip.
- The brain, when making decisions about gossip dissemination, instinctively weighs two key factors: the popularity of the person one might tell and their social distance from the subject of the gossip.
- The study, further supported by a federal grant from the National Science Foundation, demonstrates that the brain's ability to predict gossip movement through social networks mirrors algorithms used by social media platforms, effectively managing the spread of information while controlling audience targeting based on influence and connectivity.
