Second Language Learning
There has been much debate in recent times about when young people should take up a second language. This has been especially fuelled in recent times by the increasing (IMPORTANT)
placed on the English language. It is now commonplace to see parents providing a substantial amount of (FUNDING) on additional tuition on language lessons to give their children every (COMPETITION) edge. In the past decade, language institutes have sprung up in numerous centres, all claiming to provide rapid (ADVANCED) in English. There has been a push by many parents to expose their children to English in their formative years. This, many claim, will make the language more (INSTINCT) and ensure that all pronunciation errors can be avoided. There is some evidence which points to youngsters who have been raised in bilingual families, where the language spoken at home is different to the one that they (CONVERSATION) with in their external environment. While these children can switch between two languages with greater (EASY) , it remains to be seen whether this is (ADVANTAGE) when learning additional languages.The psychology of gossip..and it’s not good
We all claim to hate it, we all say we despise it. But really we all do it. Why is gossip so tempting? And if it’s so good, why do we want to deny engaging in gossip?
The fact that we all claim to hate gossip, proves that gossip doesn’t sit well on our conscience. Because if it did, we wouldn’t deny gossiping so vehemently, would we?
Thanks to social media, we are now all too comfortable discussing the lives of others publicly. Gossip is now almost normalized.
First of all, what is gossip? And if you think you have never gossiped in your life or that you don’t like gossip, well think again.
Sharing information about others when they are not present is gossip. And we all have done that, haven’t we? But, this information is not always negative or malicious or slanderous.
You should know that not all gossip is bad, but all slander is gossip. Slander is when you spread unconfirmed negative report or information about someone without attaching any proof of truth. Yes it is equivalent to lying.
However, even when you are sharing true information about somebody publicly, despite knowing that this person may not be comfortable sharing that information publicly, you are engaging in harmful gossip.
Why do we gossip?
Now lets understand why we gossip? It is said that two people become best friends when they have a common enemy. Often great friendships begin with a common dislike for something or someone.
When you have nothing else to offer, you bring in juicy details of someone else’s life into the conversation, and pretty much every person at the table falls into the temptation.
Understand that gossip is a fundamental human function. Sharing general well-being about friends and family, sharing details about your daily life, your problems etc with friends in confidence is NOT gossip. It is only when you start to indulge way too much into other people’s lives, and that becomes your single or most go-to source of happiness or topic of conversation it becomes a problem.
Gossip shows low self-esteem
Research has proven that people who spend a large portion of their daily conversation talking about other’s lives, particularly personal details or negative aspects of other’s lives, are actually suffering from a low self-esteem. They draw validation to themselves from others’ misery. So when they share information about others not doing well in their lives, they are validating that their life is so much better.
On Valentine’s day, there would be couples who would do those peculiar lovey-dovey things for each other. Then there will be others who would sit in judgment of how other couples were doing cringe-worthy things on Valentine’s Day. Very few of those judgy couples realize that in doing so, they are only re-assuring themselves that their relationship is better than others, and there may be deeper issues within their relationship that they are failing to address.
A research done on more than 100 couples by a university states that If in your relationship, you find yourselves often talking about other couples and how they do things, this may be your way of avoiding the real conversation, and failing to address your actual issues.
Yes we must count our blessings, and compare ourselves with other less fortunate people to be able to appreciate our situation. However, if our source of happiness is solely based on other people’s less than perfect lives, then we may have poor self-image. Research tells us that gossip releases serotonin, and dopamine — the two hormones that create a sense of happiness in our brains. These hormones are like drugs, and addiction can be dangerous.
Part 1: Multiple Choice Questions
1. What does the author suggest about our claims of disliking gossip?
a) They are proof of our honesty.
b) They indicate that gossip doesn’t sit well with our conscience.
c) They show that gossip is always malicious.
d) They reveal that we are naturally honest people.
2. Which of the following is the best definition of slander according to the text?
a) Sharing information about others without their consent.
b) Spreading unconfirmed negative information about someone without proof.
c) Discussing someone’s life in private.
d) Criticizing others in a friendly conversation.
3. What does the text imply about people who frequently gossip?
a) They have high self-esteem.
b) They find joy in helping others.
c) They may suffer from low self-esteem.
d) They do so to strengthen their relationships.
4. Which hormones are mentioned as being released when people gossip?
a) Dopamine and adrenaline.
b) Serotonin and oxytocin.
c) Dopamine and serotonin.
d) Cortisol and serotonin.
So how do we resist the urge of always gossiping?
Take this example. Susan and Hannah are two close friends. Hannah has lately been lying to her husband about finances, and she shares it with Susan. Susan asks Hannah to come clean with it but Hannah wouldn’t budge. Susan tries this several times, and then leaves Hannah to her decision.
But Hannah’s plight is constantly bothering Susan. She feels what Hannah is doing is not good for her future relationship with the husband, so she shares the concern with another of their mutual friends Amanda. When Susan is sharing this little detail about Hannah’s life with Amanda, she is sharing it out of love for Hannah, and out of frustration that Hannah wouldn’t listen. Susan is also making her moral stand clear before Amanda to get her support and validation.
Up until this point, this is seeking empathy from a fellow friend about a serious situation, and I dont think this is bad gossip.
But if Susan goes around sharing about Hannah’s lie with several other people in their group, just to prove herself right or better than Hannah, it borderlines on gossip even though the information is true.
So what’s the difference? Is it the number of people you are sharing the information with? No, everything zeroes down to the intention. In the first situation, Susan’s intention was not to defame Hannah in any way. She was genuinely concerned about her and badly needed to get that concern out with another friend. In the second situation, however, she didn’t need to share that information with many people since her intention wasn’t concern, but she was passing information without a valid reason.
Whenever you are tempted to share intimate or personal details about someone with others, weigh your intentions and ask yourself some hard questions -
1. What is the key difference between Susan’s first and second situations when sharing Hannah’s secret?
According to the article, how can the number of people you share information with influence whether it becomes gossip?
a) The more people know, the less harmful it becomes.
b) It depends entirely on the truthfulness of the information shared.
c) It does not matter how many people are involved if the intention is malicious.
d) The number of people is irrelevant; only the severity of the issue matters.
4. What moral conflict is Susan experiencing when she shares Hannah’s secret with Amanda?
a) Balancing her concern for Hannah with the need to maintain trust.
b) Deciding whether to confront Hannah directly or avoid her.
c) Resolving her frustration with Amanda’s response.
d) Weighing the potential consequences of revealing Hannah’s secret to Hannah’s husband.
5. Why is it important to “weigh your intentions” before sharing personal details about others?
a) It helps determine whether the information is truthful.
b) It ensures you can justify your actions if confronted.
c) It prevents the spread of harmful gossip motivated by selfish reasons.
d) It avoids unintentionally creating misunderstandings with mutual friends.
6. Choose the best synonym for “borderlines on” as used in the context: “It borderlines on gossip even though the information is true.”
a) Resembles
b) Approaches
c) Stays far from
d) Confirms
9. Do you agree that intention is the most critical factor in determining whether sharing information is gossip? Why or why not?
10. In your opinion, when does seeking empathy cross the line into harmful gossip? Provide examples to support your argument.
How can one distinguish between genuine concern for a friend and the urge to seek validation by sharing information about them? Provide a strategy or framework.
14. Discuss whether the societal normalization of gossip through social media has blurred the lines between harmful gossip and harmless sharing of information. Do you think this trend is reversible?
15. Gossip is often linked to low self-esteem. Do you believe this connection is valid? Can there be other psychological reasons for gossiping? Explain your viewpoint.
