Gossip is a virus.

Some see gossip as trivial, hurtful and socially and/or intellectually unproductive.

Some people view gossip as a lighthearted way of spreading information.

While gossip can be healthy on some levels – dependent on context – in most cases, gossip manifests itself as a passive-agressive act initiated for the sole purpose of harming and isolating.

The piece shown here, is an unused digital sketch for Scientific American Magazine on the science of gossip.