Gossip can be good for you

Gossiping at work can help staff relax - they may even discuss ideas and become more creative, new research claims.

Katherine Waddington, of the School of Nursing at London's City University, said some people spent four hours a day gossiping.

Men were less honest than women, often describing their "gossiping" as de-briefing or networking, and some people were better at gossiping than others.

"The best can tell a good story and listen and retell an interesting piece of news," she said.

Many of the nurses interviewed said they gossiped to ease stress.

"It is an emotionally demanding profession so gossiping is a safety valve," she told the British Psychological Society's occupational psychology conference in Stratford-upon-Avon.

One NHS Trust involved in the research, which covered southern England, opened a "rumour hotline" for staff to check out gossip - but no one called because they preferred to talk among themselves, Ms Waddington said.