17 October 2007: Hey, did you know ...?

Research published this week shows that people prefer to believe what they hear through the grapevine, even when they have hard evidence to the contrary.

Researchers using a computer-based study technique found gossip played an important role when people make decisions.

In the study, the participants assessed other people who they knew only from their descriptions, such as "nasty" or as "generous". The participants were then given factual information; but they continued to give preference to the descriptions rather than the facts.

"They reacted on gossip even if they knew better" the researchers concluded.

The researchers defined gossip as "social information spread about a person who is not present".