ANSWER: People gossip to make up for the lack of self-worth or self-love and use that same energy and excitement that comes from gossiping to create a fake form of stability, relevance and superiority in their life's.
Participating in gossip is a symptom of how inadequate we feel. If we truly felt whole, complete and okay—which is the awakened state of mind - we wouldn’t need to fall into the trap of negative speech. It's a way to release that little nugget of information that has been slowly ripening with you - the sense of insecurity over your job, the guilt of not being able to see your kids succeed, the lack of content with your own money, relationship, personal achievements, and attractiveness.
There are 4 main reasons why people gossip:
1.Poor Coping Skills: People often talk about others because they have difficulties in coping with the resentful or bitter emotions that they feel towards the target. (e.g. jealousy, dislike, etc..). By not being able to cope effectively, they use "talking about them" as a way to cope with their own feelings that they can't express or deal with appropriately. e.g. bad mouthing about your (ex) boyfriend or colleague/supervisor etc.
Social Reward: Sadly, people get rewarded for talking about others - e.g. when others join in, laugh at what you're saying, etc...it rewards that type of discussion. If people simply said it was inappropriate and walked away, this behavior would stop immediately.
Bonding attempt: Sometimes people attempt to "bond" or join with a group by attacking or making fun of someone they perceive is a common target.
Ego Inflation: They want to make themselves feel better by belittling another. These are usually really insecure people who think that putting another down is a way of lifting themselves up. (Also similar to bullying). Share with us your opinion on why you think people enjoy gossiping.
It all comes down to envy.
