Gossip Gossip Gossip

As long as I have worked at this unnamed, undisclosed firm that I have worked, gossip has been the central activity among all of my coworkers (myself not excluded). Months and years have gone by, attorneys are hired, fired, paralegals leave, staff employees disappear and reappear, and yet gossip lives on and never dies. Who's sleeping with whom. Who's cheating on their spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend. Who got hammered at the last social event and danced on the bar. Who's pregnant. Who can't get pregnant. Which employees messed around in one of the vacant offices. Who got fired and was "asked to leave." Who got hired based purely on connections and not merit. Who gained weight. Who lost weight. Who doesn't wash their hands after they flush. Who's engaged. Who got divorced. Who doesn't do their job. Who overworks. Which partner made a pass at a young staff member. Who drives what. Who lives where. Who makes how much. Who makes more than us. It's neverending. It's addictive. We all know it's bad but it's the only thing that keeps an otherwise dull, monotonous, unfulfilling corporate environment exciting. The males always claim they don't get involved but half the gossip comes from them and their observations. The females claim it's not malicious or out of jealousy but a form of entertainment or bonding with fellow coworkers. Why do we do it? Why can't we stop? To be continued. . .