by Leslie M.

Created on: November 12, 2008   Last Updated: January 31, 2012

According to Wikipedia, "Gossip is idle talk or rumor, especially about the personal or private affairs of others." And while gossip is probably one of the best ways of spreading news, it is generally full of misinterpretations and outright lies. So if most people are aware that this type of conversation is mostly untrue and hurtful to others, why do we do it?

In October 2008, a Scientific American article came out with the answer saying that people gossip because it's innate. We're actually hard wired as human beings to have an intense curiosity about what others are doing. Furthermore, without this inquisitiveness, we would never have made it from Neanderthal to modern man as gossip helps those in society learn social appropriateness and valuable life lessons.

Additionally, gossip helps people feel connected to others, since sharing information on a personal level promotes closeness. It can also foster friendships, and let people know what is and what isn't acceptable in a group by what creates a scandal. If for example someone thinks they'll be talked about, they may not commit a social crime such as an affair.

But, even though gossip may serve a positive purpose in some respects, it's something that should be kept in check during working hours. For starters, it can annoy other employees and cause supervisors to view workers that engage in this behavior as less reliable according to a study done by Randstad USA and Harris Interactive. This of course can lead to getting passed over for promotions, and even fired.

Additionally gossip can really do damage for companies since a lot of time effort and energy can go into gossip, whether you're the one doing the talking, or the one being talked about. This can create a large problem with job focus and can really hurt the bottom line as many mistakes can be made. It could happen to a doctor thinking more about what the nurse was rumored to say about her marriage than her next cancer patient, or the secretary more interested in fuming about what someone said about her outfit than scheduling important clients.

So what can you do if you find yourself at the water cooler and conversation turns negative? Here are some practical tips for how to deal with catty co-workers:

Walk away

Probably the best defense against gossip mongers is not to listen at all.
If conversation between several co-workers goes from the last big business meeting to the affair going on between the big boss and the new HR representative, simply

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