PSYN Staff
A UC Riverside study shows that couples who spend about 29 minutes a day gossiping together report stronger bonds and higher happiness—especially women-women pairs.
Turns out, spilling the tea together isn’t just fun—it’s relationship gold.
A UC Riverside study found couples who gossip with each other for about 29 minutes per day report higher personal happiness and stronger bonds. And the most blissful of all? Women-women couples, who topped the joy charts.
What’s Actually Going On
Researchers from UC Riverside conducted a study titled “Spill the Tea, Honey: Gossiping Predicts Well‑Being in Same‑ and Different‑Gender Couples.” They used a device called the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) to passively capture snippets of conversation—about 14% of each couple’s daily talk.
On average, participants spent ~38 minutes per day gossiping, with around 29 minutes of that gossip being directly with their partner. Couples who gossiped more frequently reported higher happiness and better relationship quality overall.
Notably, women-women couples experienced the highest well‑being, followed by other same‑gender pairings—especially outpacing different‑gender couples in overall satisfaction.
The researchers theorize that gossip—whether loving, snarky, or observational—is less about drama and more about reinforcing emotional intimacy and solidarity. It’s like saying, “We’re on the same team.”
