The other day I was having a snack of some cheese and crackers. My wife came along and I asked her if she wanted some. As I handed her a cracker with some cheese spread on it I commented that I liked it and asked if she did. She answered, “Its salty.” I paused for [...]

With few exceptions, almost everyone is familiar with a certain pleasure associated with gossiping: the sharing of secrets; the feeling of exclusivity; the pleasure of feeling just a tad superior to the object of the gossip. Perhaps it is the pleasure that makes it so enticing and contagious in its more benign manifestations. [...]