The uncomfortable truth: You spend 52 minutes a day gossiping (Yes, you do)
Be honest, do you like gossip? You might instantly recoil, thinking, “No way! I’m not the type of person who gossips.” I understand your pride, but I am willing to bet you might be living in denial. It truly appears humans are genetically programmed to gossip.
The academic definition of gossip is simply talking about someone who isn’t present, and it is not limited to negative topics. However, our popular perception seems accurate: a UC Riverside study revealed that negative gossip was twice as prevalent as positive gossip. The big takeaway, though? That same study suggests we spend an average of 52 minutes a day gossiping. Yes, nearly an hour every single day.
So, why do we dedicate so much of our limited time to this activity? My research led me to the University of Michigan, where a study found that gossiping actually increases the level of progesterone in the body. This substance is a known “feel-good” hormone that plays a role in fostering social bonding and trust—which might elegantly explain why the UC Riverside study also confirmed that women tend to gossip more than men.
Now, my curiosity deepened further: Why are we designed to feel good by sharing secrets and information about others?
From ancient survival to modern office talk: Why gossip is in our DNA
I already have the answer to my own question, because I was lucky enough to have read the brilliant historian Yuval Noah Harari. In his seminal work, Sapiens: From Animals to Gods, he asserts that “our language evolved as a variant of gossip.”
His core argument is simple: We are fundamentally social animals, and for our ancestors living in small tribes, gossiping was always essential for survival. It was the critical, low-cost tool for figuring out who was a reliable friend (or hunting partner) and who was a dangerous foe (or free-rider). Gossip, at its root, is the ultimate social audit system.
The main point is this: You don’t have to be ashamed of loving gossip. It is merely one of the human survival mechanisms written into our genetic code. You’re not being nosy; you’re being strategically human.
The post-COVID thirst: Why online chat fails to satisfy our genetic need
Why did I answer my own question about gossip? Because I find it fascinating to show you how absolutely vital this unfiltered, human-to-human communication is for us. This leads us to today’s main subject: The undeniable thirst for real connection.
During the COVID restraint period, many of us, myself included, were deeply hungry for genuine human interaction. While the use of online communication tools exploded, let’s be honest, and this is the human truth: they couldn’t completely satisfy that deep, genetic need. We are simply not designed to live without the subtle cues, the body language, and the spontaneous laughter of physical, face-to-face interaction—even if we sometimes find it annoying!
Thankfully, things are finally getting back to normal, and I’ve returned to the days of traveling the world for business. It’s a truly human thing to admit that I was genuinely surprised to realize how much I had missed going abroad and seeing people in person. In the same way, I know there must be many people who are desperately missing Japan.
Hokkaido in June: Where to satisfy your thirst for real connection
Here’s a recommendation from me, a Hokkaido resident, for you, a globally-minded traveler. Come satisfy that thirst for connection at the Asahikawa Design Week (ADW), held every June in Hokkaido.
As some of you may know, June is the notoriously rainy season (Tsuyu) across the mainland of Japan—Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto become miserably hot and humid. But we are lucky enough to be completely outside of it up here in Hokkaido. On the contrary, June (early summer) is arguably the best season in Hokkaido, offering dry, crisp air and ideal temperatures.
Don’t miss this chance to satisfy your need for human connection, engaging in spontaneous, real-time “gossip” (the good kind!) over great food, under a fantastic climate that the rest of Japan can only dream of, and surrounded by beautiful design and passionate creators!
Photo credit: Image by drobotdean on Freepik / https://meetup.furniture/
Shungo Ijima
He is travelling around the world. His passion is to explain Japan to the world, from the unique viewpoint accumulated through his career: overseas posting, MBA holder, former official of the Ministry of Finance.