Rumor is information that a group of individuals shares to help make sense of a complex or uncertain situation. It is a socially and culturally important form of communication that can influence decision making and human behavior in many ways. Rumor is often based on factual evidence, but it can also be completely false or misleading. It can be a catalyst for action or simply provide insight and entertainment.
Rumors can be spread in person or over the Internet, but they are most popularly transmitted by word of mouth. They can be about anything at all, but most commonly they are about people and events that are newsworthy or interesting. Some rumors are true and some are false, but they all spread because of the interest and energy they generate.
If a rumor is about you, it is likely to be untrue. However, it can still be damaging to your reputation if the rumor is highly inaccurate or is repeated over and over again. It can also cause you anxiety if you find out that a rumor is spreading about you.
Most rumors are true or at least partly true, but it is difficult to know how accurate they are until after they have been passed along several times. In general, rumors are more accurate when they are spread among people who have similar beliefs or backgrounds. However, cognitive mechanisms, including narrowing of attention and memory limits, can reduce rumor accuracy. Additionally, students who serially transmit rumors tend to pass along parts of a rumor that are consistent with their stereotypes, because these parts fit more easily into their existing schemas. Motivational motives, such as fact-finding, relationship-enhancement, and self-enhancement, can also affect rumor accuracy.
In some cases, rumors help to manage a physical threat by warning people of how to avoid or cope with the negative consequences of a situation, for example: “The tsunami is coming, you better get out of town!”. More often, rumors afford a psychological sense of control over a negative event by helping to interpret or understand it, for example: “The CEO is downsizing the company to maximize short term stock gains and doesn’t care about long term effects”.
Some rumors have attitudinal or wedge-driving effects, such as sullying reputations or fostering hatred toward another group. Wedge-driving rumors have been implicated in starting riots during ethnic/racial tensions, changing stock market trading, and altering behaviors that affect health or disease detection.