One in Seven People Would Rather Be Badmouthed Than Ignored, Study Finds

It turns out that not being talked about might be worse than being the target of gossip, even when the chatter isn’t exactly flattering.

A new study has revealed that 15% of people — about one in seven — would rather be trash-talked behind their backs than not mentioned at all. Yes, even negative attention is better than no attention, according to some.

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When Gossip Isn’t All Bad

Researchers conducted five separate experiments involving more than 2,000 participants, exploring how people feel about being the subject of gossip, whether good, bad, or somewhere in between.

Here’s what they found:

• 64% of people said they’re happy to be gossiped about if the gossip is positive.
• 25% said they’d still want to be the topic of conversation even if it’s unclear whether the talk is positive or negative.
• And a surprising 15% said they’d prefer being spoken about negatively over not being mentioned at all.

Whether the gossip was happening at a backyard barbecue or around the office water cooler didn’t make much of a difference — the numbers held steady across social and workplace settings. The researchers also noted a slight gender split: men were more likely than women to be okay with negative gossip.

The Fear of Being Forgotten

So, why are some of us okay with a bit of shade thrown our way?

According to the researchers, this points to a deeper truth about human nature: social invisibility can feel worse than criticism. People want to feel seen, acknowledged, and relevant — even if that means being the butt of a joke or the target of someone’s gripe.

It’s the classic case of “bad press is better than no press,” but applied to our everyday lives.

Talking About Being Talked About

This study may come as no surprise in an age where personal branding and social media validation are part of daily life. Being in the conversation — even for the wrong reasons — can feel preferable to being completely overlooked.

So, next time you hear, “Your ears must have been burning,” you might want to ask: Was it good, bad, or just a little ambiguous?