Psychologists from Beijing Normal University in China found that women with low self-esteem tend to spread rumors about other people somewhat more often among their acquaintances.
This is reported by the Dr. Evin website.
During the experiment, the researchers asked 190 women aged 23 to 35 to rate their own physical attractiveness on a specific scale. The subjects were then asked to look at photographs of several other women (individually) and report how well they matched their idea of beauty.
The researchers then asked the participants to imagine themselves and one of the pictured women in a social group with a man. The scientists asked the subjects to self-assess how much they would be jealous of the supposed "rival's" attempts to get close to him. At the end of the preparatory phase, the scientists provided the participants with fictitious negative information about the women in the previously viewed pictures and they were asked to rate the likelihood of further sharing of this information in different social contexts.
It turned out that the subjects were more likely to spread negative information among their friends than in other social groups. They also reported a stronger desire to share such news if the woman was attractive. In addition, the researchers found that female participants with low self-esteem were slightly more likely to spread gossip.
It is also recommended to read the material entitled "Beauty for real! How to combine trends in cosmetology with the wishes of patients".
