Study Explains How Gossip Among Children Impacts Their Decision Making

Children are constantly learning and growing, and their experiences in the early years have a significant impact on their social and emotional development. A new study sheds light on how even simple playground rumours can influence a child's perception of their peers.

In the study published in the Royal Society Open Science, the authors wrote that “it may be functionally adaptive for children to adjust their behaviour based on negative gossip simply to avoid harmful situations caused by future interactions with a malevolent person. They might be exploited or harmed by a person who is actually ill-intentioned.”

Researchers investigated how seven-year-olds navigate the world of gossip. They found that children readily accept positive rumours, especially when they hear them from multiple sources. However, the study revealed a worrying trend: even a single negative rumour could cast a long shadow, making children wary of building friendships with the targeted classmate.

The reasons behind this one-sided trust remain unclear. The scientists speculate that it might stem from a natural defence mechanism, protecting children from befriending someone who might not be a good influence.

Japanese researchers showed 7-year-olds videos of puppets with good, bad, or neutral gossip. Kids rewarded puppets with positive gossip more when multiple puppets confirmed it. Even one bad rumour lowered he rewards. The study suggests children value consensus and fairness, rewarding good deeds but quickly punishing negativity.

“The children acted upon positive gossip from multiple informants but not from a single informant,” the authors wrote. “Conversely, they relied on negative gossip regardless of the number of sources.”