Did you hear? He threatened to break up if she didn’t commit to the relationship! But I wonder why she isn’t making it official. Maybe something from her past. Do you think she was married earlier? Woah. That would make things interesting.

This spiral of gossip and rumor-mongering is rather familiar. We have either engaged in this behavior or encountered others who make conjectures with the hope of uncovering some juicy information. But what motivates us to create these alternative narratives?

Gossip and rumors are often a byproduct of certain personality traits, cognitive processes, and psychological wants—the desire to gain power, resources, or hedonism, can motivate a person to create rumors or gossip. A junior employee dedicated to working for the company for several years believes he deserves a promotion. He suspects a colleague is a potential threat to his upgrade. Instead of challenging them outright, he resorts to spreading a rumor about his manager and the employee having personal relationships beyond the professional setting.

He sits back........

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