Gossip exists to teach us about other people, to tell us who they really are. Most concerns moral infractions: people breaking the rules of the group. Such stories maintain pro-group behaviour by triggering moral outrage, which pushes us to act, either against the ‘characters’ in gossip or in their defence. We enjoy great books or immersive films because they’re activating and exploiting these ancient social emotions. ‘Stories arose out of our intense interest in social monitoring,’ writes the psychologist Professor Brian Boyd.
