10 Good Reasons Why You Should Never Gossip Gallery

There are a lot of obviously rude behaviors out there. Chewing with your mouth open, using your cell phone in a crowded movie theater, treating waiters condescendingly and being inexcusably late to an engagement are all things most people know not to do. But for every obvious breach of etiquette out there, there are some inconsiderate acts so widespread that people don't even always realize how improper they are.

The most common rude behavior out there: gossiping. According to The Telegraph, social psychologist Dr. Nicholas Emler told a conference in 2009 that 80 percent of our conversations are about other people, so gossiping is everywhere, whether or not it's malicious. Heck, you're probably gossiping a lot of the time without even realizing you're doing it. It's just that easy to fall into this trap.

And though it may be difficult to swear off, gossiping is the one rude behavior you should really quit. There are a lot of big and little consequences of it that can affect your life in a negative way. Whether you're chatting in the office or among friends, make it a goal to eschew this uncivilized behavior. Beyond it simply being rude, there are many more reasons why you should never gossip.

Think about what you're really saying when you gossip about somebody. If the person you're talking about is your friend, and then they find out that you're saying things about them behind their back, they can be really upset with you. Heck, you may even lose a friendship.

Gossip can have a real effect on people. What may seem like harmless comments or a not-so-serious rumor can snowball into something major. Particularly cruel gossip could lead to job loss, breakups or health issues stemming from unnecessary stress for those who are talked about. You never know what may happen from a so-called harmless comment.

Being a gossip will also raise other questions about your character. Are you a "fake" person? A liar? People won't be so sure about your character anymore.

If you're known as a gossip, people won't want to associate with you or confide in you. The person you're gossiping to will think: "If they talk about their other friends behind their backs, what are they saying about me?" If someone tells you something confidential, there's a reason for it. They trust you, and you don't want to break that trust.

If you're gossiping because you hate confrontation, well, we have bad news for you. If you spread gossip, the person you're talking about probably will find out. And when they do, they may confront you. If you're talking about a colleague, they can also take the issue to HR and you can have consequences in your career in addition to your personal life.

Gossip can sometimes backfire on the gossiper too. If you say something incredibly outlandish and false, you can be taken to court for slander. While that's a remarkably dramatic outcome, it isn't completely out of the realm of possibility.

Even if you don't get sued or have your reputation damaged, being a gossiper means, well, people may gossip about you. Are you truly OK with being talked about behind your back? Think about it.

Sure, there's good gossip. The news of a pregnancy, engagement or new job is technically gossip, and it isn't bad. But think about the vast majority of gossip you hear. It's about scandals, failures and missteps, isn't it? That's a whole lot of negativity, and it can seriously drag down your mood and the moods of those around you.

Habits can be easy to pick up and hard to break, and that includes your social habits. If you start to gossip routinely, it's going to seep into your everyday life. Eventually you may have nothing to talk about except for others, and that's not ideal. So ditch your gossip habit — and ditch these other bad habits too, while you're at it.

The ability to engage in decent conversation says something about yourself. If you're friendly and intelligent and have varied outside interests, you'll be far more memorable and interesting to talk to. Defaulting to talking about other people is relatively dull. Instead of gossiping, why not say these 15 nice things instead?

More From The Daily Meal:

25 Things You Can Do to Be a More Polite Person

These Are the Worst Etiquette Mistakes You Can Make

Should You Still Call a Woman Ma'am? and Other Modern Etiquette Questions Answered

Etiquette Lessons Your Grandma Wishes You Knew

10 Little-Known Etiquette Rules You're Likely Breaking