In a brief Q&A (2/22/09) in USA Today Weekend by advice columnist Dennie Hughes, she quotes me saying it’s okay to indulge in celebrity gossip. I think most people tend to dismiss gossip as pretty shallow stuff, in spite of what we read at the dentist's office. And that might be true, except for the fact that the essence of the gossip experience lies in both the shared experience and all the other information that is exchanged when we gossip about anything. That information is all about connecting with others, defining and sharing our own identity, and exploring our place in society. You can dissect personality, culture, good fortune, effort, connection, and human success and frailty, not to mention plumage, at a safe distance. Gossip provides the laboratory for investigation. Research from around the world shows that soap opera plots and characters successfully introduce subjects that are outside the boundaries of normal discourse or go against cultural norms in ways that can improve understanding, tolerance, and opportunity. Soap operas are just scripted gossip. Why not take advantage of the real thing?