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Rumor Has It
Posted at 5:55 AM on November 4, 2009
by Dale Connelly
(21 Comments)
Radio Heartland has tickets for you to see Tim Ericksen at the Cedar Cultural Center this coming Thursday night! We'll close off entries at 1pm today.
Enter the drawing.
Obey the rules.
Good luck!
I read an article yesterday about gossip.
See, there was this study to find out how people in groups talked about other people behind their backs.
I didn't actually SEE any of the people who were part of this research project and I didn't HEAR what they said, BUT ... the word is ... (and I have this on good authority) ... this group that "allowed" themselves to be "studied" (like they didn't enjoy the attention) became more and more savage about people the longer the conversation lasted. YES! Incredible!
And the only thing that would stop it from being a total trash-fest was if some member of the group was brave enough to make a positive comment about the person in question EARLY in the conversation. Otherwise, it was pure carnage. Can you believe it? Who do these people think they are? God?
And if you're being dismantled by a group of your so-called "friends" and you don't get a defender after the first few salvos, you're toast. Because once negative comments start to build, the social pressure to conform becomes incredible and even people who really LIKE you will participate in your character assassination to protect THEMSELVES from RIDICULE!
Did you ever hear of anything so OUTRAGEOUS?
But you know what? As soon as I heard there was a study about gossip and this group was in it, I KNEW it was going to go badly. They are SO ...
Well ... you know how people are.
I'm not saying any of YOU were part of the group, but have you ever knowingly participated in a study of human behavior?
Comments (21)
Nope. I have never knowingly been part of a study on human behavior.
Morning, all!
well, what makes us think we are any better than chickens? if one chicken gets even a teeny speck of an injury or a nip from another the whole flock starts picking on that one chicken. sometimes until it is killed. this may be an effort to maintain the strength of the flock - cull the weaklings - i'm not sure. but usually there's a better reason than humans have for being vicious. the gossip study sounds like "pack" behaviour to me, Dale.
as students, both of us took part in studies for pay - mostly diet studies (so we could eat for free). but having to eat the same 4 day menu (and not eat anything else) for weeks and weeks was an interesting look into our eating partners' behaviour also. ..
good morning, All!
Like elinor, I haven't knowingly taken part in any study of my behavior. What kind of behavior would they find? I don't know!
May be we a part of a behavior study that Dale is doing. If so, I am enjoying it, but I don't think Dale would do such a thing. Is this too much gossip?
Thanks for participating, everyone.
Convincing you that I'm not running a social experiment is an important part of the social experiment. But is this a study of group dynamics, gullibility or gossip? Hmmmm ...
Gosh, Dale, you're really not a very convincing malice. I'm gonna spread it around that you're too nice.
This topic draws me to a wee precious book of insightful sayings, written by Ruth Krauss, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, called Open House For Butterflies. A few of my favorites include: "A good think to know is what a punch in the nose feels like in case somebody asks, Do you want a punch in the nose?" "There are all kinds of ears in this world." And this last one kills me - "The minute you meet some people you know you will hate their mothers."
Good Morning gossipers and non alike!
I found another "gossip" song - Everbody's Talking. Madeleine Peryroux sings a version of this song.
Unless going to a high school with several disparate programs all merged into one building after two school closings (making populations from three schools and their various programs try to fit into one building) counts as a study in human behavior, no. It wound up feeling like we were in the middle of someone's cultural anthropology thesis study, but I doubt that was the school district's intent. Then again...
Morning public radio people!
I would suggest the song You Talk Too Much by Joe Jones as a good song to fit the theme. On a side note JASPER wasa bit late starting American Routes last week, but hes forgiven
I haven't participated in a behavior study, but my mom is LIVING one, sort of, in the retirement community where she lives. She loves the food and the staff, and tries in vain to sit in the dining room with people of like mind, so she doesn't have to listen to the carping about the lousy food and the terrible staff people... Some of THEM now have her number, and when she tries to put in a positive comment they get going to trash the place. (I think some of THEM bait her...) Of course, by now in telling her story to me or her compadres, she is trashing THEM...
...oh, and I'm spreading it by telling you all! :)
Listening to Bonnie Raitt reminded me of two talking songs by her. "Talk to Me" (Green Light) and "Something to Talk About" (Luck of the Draw)Ok, so I now hear you don't have the second one. "People Gonna Talk" by Linda Ronstadt wqorks.
I agree with Donna, Dale. After reading your first post, it I had to check again to see if YOU or a guest had written it. I congratulate for being able to change your style so well. But we all think you are just too nice, at least when speaking to you face we say that.
Wasn't there a famous where test subjects gave supposedly higher and higher jolts of electricity to victims they could see "suffering." They justified it afterwards by saying that they were just following the rules they were given and it waa not their moral decision.
thought of a great one!
john prine and dolores keane from the in spite of ourselves album...
in a town this size!
Dare I mention another blog, the grand master of blogs? I got on facebook as a way to support and have contact with my two children. Along the way I connected with about 120 of my former students (I am a semi-retired former HS teacher). I now go to facebook to give myself a boost. It is such a psitive medium, which I did not expect. Maybe because it is hard to talk behind anyone's back. But what a joy to see students who are now 35-45 talking with such delight about life, their kids, their spouses, the small joys of life. I oftren liken it to a big backyard fence over which people talk---but no one has a back behind which to talk.
This gossip study is supported by another study that appeared to show that people who talk and listen only to people they agree with become more convinced of the truth of their own opinions.
See Eric Black's article on MinnPost:
http://tinyurl.com/yjfgdmu
That's why I like this group. I never have to hear things I disagree with and I'm more and more sure we're all in possession of the truth.
We are, aren't we?
Some of the more facinating studies on human behavior are by Brian Wansink: Director of the Cornell University Food & Brand Lab. He is delightful to sisten to.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/24/midmorning2/
"Pick a Little Talk a Little/Goodnight Ladies" from Music Man fit the gossip thread. I know you have that one! I always like it when the playlist follows a theme. Thanks.
Newspaper studies show that people overwhelmingly read only opinions with which they agreee. I read the study a few years ao and then tried to make a point of reading opinions with which I diagreed. I did not do it very often.
Thanks for the song! That's such a great album!
By our very nature, we are participating in human behavior experiments all the time.
Personally, I find human/consumer behavior psychology absolutely fascinating. It was part of the reason I wanted to go into advertising/marketing (...still wish I had...). There are some experts that say that there is no such thing as 'crowd behavior.' That people will act exactly the same way in a crowd as they do when acting by themselves. I absolutely disagree with this notion. People ~can~ act enormously different when they feel protected by others within their group (even if it's a group of strangers) or by the anonymity that being in a crowd (which can easily progress toward being a 'mob') affords. And this study is a perfect example. I think it's really interesting to see how the human mind works...and, of course, how to tinker with it...heh, heh, heh....
Speaking of talking behind backs, today's question on MPR NewsQ home page is: "Have you ever considered informing on a friend?" Gives one pause... I wonder if anyone has anything on me to inform about!
Catching the rebroadcast of what I missed earlier - who knew there were so many songs about talking!
Dale, there's song called The Second Time Around from an old Glenn Ford movie... Doris Day (or Sandra Dee?) probably sang it, don't know if it's in the library...
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