Gossip is ubiquitous – chances are that you have shared, heard, or been the topic of gossip today. Why do we love to talk about other people? Is gossiping part of our human nature? Are there benefits of gossip, to either the individual or to society? In this article I will review what researchers have learned about the nature of gossip, its bad reputation, and the numerous functions it serves in society. The dish on gossip: Its origins, functions, and bad reputation Think about the last conversation you had. What did you talk about? Was the conversation focused on yourself, or your...

As a diagnosis, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rests entirely on what people report about their symptoms. Thus, many people, such as Robert, Lisa, and even a Senator, who strive for compensation money or other benefits, falsely report suffering from it. While lying about the PTSD might be easy, detecting those who fabricate PTSD is a real challenge. If someone would instruct you to walk into a psychiatric clinic and claim that you suffer from severe psychological consequences of trauma exposure, do you think they would know that you are lying? As shown in a study by Hickling and his...