willer

Prof Willer said : " Gossip gets a bad rap , but we 're finding evidence that it plays a critical role in the maintenance of social order . "

维勒教授说：“尽管人们对流言怨声很多，但我们找到了证据证明它在维持社会秩序方面也发挥着重要的作用。”

The study also showed that passing on rumours could help us monitor people who behave badly and prevent each other from being exploited by malicious individuals , Prof Willer added .

维勒教授补充说，研究还显示，散播流言能帮助人们监督那些行为不端的人，并防止大家受到恶人的利用。

Prof Robb Willer , one of the researchers , said : " Spreading information about the person whom they had seen behave badly tended to make people feel better , quieting the frustration that drove their gossip . "

其中一位研究人员罗伯维勒教授说：“散播有关行为不端的人的信息会让人们感觉好一些，抚平那种促使他们去散播流言的挫败感。”