《中英對照讀新聞》Gossip good, says study 研究指稱「說長道短」不是壞事

◎陳成良

Bad gossip or sharing negative attitudes about others has its positive side. It can create or increase intimacy between two people, says a study published in the June issue of the journal Personal Relationships.

嚼舌根講別人壞話或分享對他人的負面觀感，有其正面意義，它能夠營造或增進兩人之間的親密關係，一項發表在6月號「人際關係」期刊的研究指出。

Researchers found that negative attitudes are frequently shared among friends and can even promote friendships among strangers.

研究人員發現，朋友之間經常分享（對他人的）負面觀感，這種交流甚至能增進陌生人之間的友誼。

In the first two parts of the study, the researchers instructed two groups of participants to list the positive and negative attitudes they shared at the early and later stages of close relationships. Both groups recalled more negative than positive attitudes about other people.

在該研究前兩階段中，研究人員要兩組參與實驗者，分別列出他們在親密關係初期與後期中，與他人分享的正負面觀感，結果兩組人員都比較記得住對他人的負面觀感，而不是正面觀感。

In the third section, participants listened to a conversation between two fictional characters and explained what they liked or did not like about a speaker （a third person）.

在第三階段中，參與者聽一段兩個虛構人物之間的談話，然後解釋他們喜歡或不喜歡其中一名談話者（第三者）的原因。

They were then told that they shared or did not share the same thoughts as another participant whom they would be partnered with.

然後他們被告知，他們與即將作伴的另一名參與者抱持相同或不同的看法。

The authors found that those whose partners had a mutual dislike of the third person felt closer to this stranger than those who shared a liking.

研究執筆人發現，相較於那些與夥伴有共同喜愛的人，那些與夥伴對第三者有相同憎惡的人，會覺得這位陌生夥伴跟自己比較親近。

新聞辭典

gossip：名詞，閒話；流言；嚼舌根，或（報刊上有關個人隱私等）八卦小道傳聞。gossip也可指「愛說長道短的人」。 Don't tell her anything. She is a gossip. （什麼也不要告訴她，她愛搬弄是非。）

intimacy：名詞，熟悉；親密。An intimacy grew up between us.（我們之間的關係親密起來了。）