Rumors Die As Soon As They Reach The Ear Of An Intelligent Person

The process is almost always the same. There is a hypocrite who starts rumors so that the gossip will spread it, and naive persons will believe it without a doubt. The epidemic of rumors only comes to an end when it finally reaches the ear of an intelligent person, a vaccinated heart that does not respond to it.

In a book written in 1947 by social psychologist Gordon Allport called  The Psychology of Rumors , he explains something very interesting. Rumors serve to create a sense of togetherness within different groups of people.

They also serve to take a stand against someone. At the same time, this behavior makes them feel good, releases endorphins and combats stress.

In many cases, gossip turns into a social control tool that gives a certain kind of power to the gossips. It makes them the center of attention for that group of people who are open to the rumours. That way they can escape from their daily routine, as a kind of distraction.

As anyone can tell you, gossipers are not happy. They are too busy masking their bitterness in vain, validating their self-confidence.

The Psychology of Insatiable Rumors

For example, let’s think about  how quickly a rumor, true or false, starts to become ‘contagious’ in the world of social networks.

The internet is already almost comparable to a brain where data represents connections between neurons. As a result, we are fed information that is not always true, or that is disrespectful to others.

As marketing and advertising experts say,  look at the example of an American soda when it comes to how fatal gossip can be. It was launched in 1990, and was very successful until a rumor came up that was completely absurd and scary.

It was said that this drink was made by the Ku Klux Klan, for one purpose only. Because it was so cheap, it was easily accessible to the poorer, African-American population. But the recipe held  a deadly secret.

And that was lowering the sperm quality of the African-American men so that they could no longer father children.

No one knows who brought this rumor into the world, or why, but it had disastrous results. It took the brand years to recover, and as a result, they always make sure to feature African-American people in their commercials.

It didn’t matter how far-fetched it was, how untrue and how harmful it was, because it attacked the sensitivity of a group. Even now that we know it’s not true, it still leaves its mark. This is a clear example of rumors that have had a lot of influence.

Defending yourself against rumors and gossip

Like it or not, our society revolves around power relations where  gossip and rumors serve as weapons. Manipulated truths are useful to many people. They help them achieve higher positions and concrete benefits.

So it is  necessary that we always be this intelligent ear that serves as a boundary, which stops the attack. This also stops the futility, the misinformation and that spark that always tries its best to catch fire.

As a result, and in order to understand these three psychological processes that are so common, we suggest that you think about the mainstays that hold the psychological effects of gossip, but also of the gossip and the naive person who follows it.

what is wisdom

Popular wisdom tells us that all we need to do is remove a link to break the chain. If rumors are the viruses in our work environment, family or social circles, it  is necessary to have people we trust around us to act as fencing.

Thus they serve as intelligent ears to disarm things that are illogical.

Spreading rumors when there’s someone out there trying to make a name for ourselves. When we encounter this behavior, we can respond in two ways: by ignoring the rumor or by acting assertively, setting our boundaries and being clear.

We must be aware that in every organization or social group there will be an official gossip. There is always someone who likes gossip.

We must always show integrity, be transparent, and not participate in the exchange of gossip. So it is always necessary to know that it is not always easy to disprove a rumor, words are not always enough.

We need compelling evidence to prove this and show that the rumor is a lie.

Toxic tongues will always be present one way or another, so it’s best to just avoid them. Remember that  rumors are for the mob, and information for the wise.