Do the Irish gossip too much? 

According to the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Irish people spend on average 52 minutes a day gossiping. 

Newstalk reporter Henry McKean went to investigate for The Hard Shoulder and quickly concluded that Irish people are “all good ” at the exchanging of news and views. 

“I think it’s [common] across all ages,” he said. 

“From perhaps 15 I think it starts in school - especially in girls’ schools the gossiping starts - and it continues right into retirement. 

“People love it.” 

Out on the streets of Dublin, one man described gossip as a “trap we all fall into”. 

“[It’s] just kind of what goes on in day to day life, you know?” he said. 

“If somebody does something interesting, it’s just something we all talk about… I think it usually deflects attention away from your own stuff, that’s generally the reason people gossip.” 

Another passerby told Henry she thought gossip was a “necessary evil” and she always tried to keep her gossip positive. 

“[I like] good news,” she said. 

“Sharing good news. The nasty stuff I don’t want to know about it.” 

Celebrity news

Jesse told Henry she loves nothing more than to sit down with a friend and dissect what is happening to the Kardashians, who she described as “very prevalent right now”. 

“There’s always something new going on,” she said. 

“Kylie has her new clothing range out… One of them's pregnant now, I think she actually just had her child. 

“[I like to know] what they’re wearing, what they’re buying.” 

Kim Kardashian in New York. Image: photodesk@splashnews.com/World Rights

Sometimes Jesse gossips about people she knows in real life but never close friends. 

“Maybe friends of friends that we don’t really get along with,” she said. 

“Something like that but they wouldn’t necessarily be close friends because we’re all kind of in the same group, so you’d go off and tell someone, ‘She’s after saying this.’”

Main image: Two women gossiping.