Gossip is a frequent social activity, yet there is little research on the experience of providing gossip and how it impacts upon well-being of the gossiper. The present research aimed to investigate the effect of gossip behavior on the self-esteem of the gossiper. In Study 1, 140 participants were asked to write either a positive or negative description of a target person. Selfesteem was significantly reduced after providing a negative description but not after providing a positive one. In Study 2, 112 participants were asked to share information about someone they knew. Self-esteem decreased significantly regardless of the valence of the information. This research suggests that the act of gossiping is one which leads to self-criticism regardless of valence.

Background Cognitive impairment is a major comorbidity in children with epilepsy. During the past decade, evidence has emerged that the consolidation of declarative memory (memory for facts and events) is promoted by slow-wave sleep. The aim of this study was to investigate whether sleep architecture is disrupted in children with epilepsy, and whether this disruption impacts on memory consolidation in these children compared with healthy children.