WORDS WITHOUT WOUNDS

Did you know that we spend, on average, 52 minutes each day gossiping about others? That’s according to a study by the University of California, USA, on the dynamics of this universal activity. The results, which were reported in Science Daily earlier this year, also revealed that while everyone talks about others, younger people are far more likely to engage in negative gossip – and this, says clinical psychologist Sumari van Rooyen, can start as early as the age of three!

‘What’s important to remember about gossiping is that it’s a normal activity. It happens on every playground and in every classroom, which is why