Tea and Tales: The Influence of Gossip in Social Life
Abstract: Gossip is one of the most ordinary things people do together, yet most of what psychology knows about it comes from Western, individualist samples. This mixed-methods study examined the social and psychological functions of gossip in everyday Indian life, with attention to family honour (izzat), gender, coping and WhatsApp-based digital gossip. One hundred Indian adults completed a survey comprising the Revised Gossip Functions Questionnaire, a researcher-developed Indian Social Context Questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale, followed by semi-structured interviews with ten participants. The primary hypothesis was supported: izzat anxiety correlated positively with perceived stress (r = .263, p = .008), providing the first quantitative evidence that family honour operates as a stressor in daily Indian life. Gender and family-type differences were non-significant, indicating that both izzat anxiety and recognition of the gendered gossip double standard are broadly shared across demographic groups: 73% of participants agreed that women face harsher gossip consequences and 82% said men's equivalent talk is labeled "advice or concern". Gossip-as-coping did not reduce stress, and interviews revealed pervasive moral ambivalence (70% reported mixed relief and guilt). Four qualitative themes converged with the quantitative findings. Gossip in India emerges as a culturally embedded, psychologically complex behaviour whose benefits and costs are inseparable.
Keywords: Gossip, izzat, collectivism, perceived stress, WhatsApp, gender, coping, India
How to Cite?: Tahseen Banu Mohtisham, Dr. Shivanand Pawar, "Tea and Tales: The Influence of Gossip in Social Life", Volume 15 Issue 10, October 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1368-1371, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR261020165418, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR261020165418