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Humans are the only species to have the unique miracle of speech. We use this very special gift to pass on the tittle-tattle of everyday life, and, of course, to talk about people. “’Talking about people’ is a basic social and cultural activity in which we humans engage in order to educate and place ourselves in the world and to make sense of our beings and universe (Haviland/Gordon 1). Knowing that, we should consider talking about people or gossip our link between a primate past and the world of modern anthropology, not idle chatter. “Apes and monkeys, humanity's closest kin, differ from other animals in the intensity of their relationships. All their grooming is not so much about hygiene as it is about cementing bonds, making friends, and influencing fellow primates (Harvard University Press).” In his research, Robin Dunbar goes into depth about the social complexities of primate grooming. He claims “ To be groomed by a monkey is to experience primordial emotions…. To recognize what this simple gesture signals in the social world of monkeys and apes, you need to know the intimate details of those involved: who is friends with whom, who dominates and who is subordinate, who owes a favour in return for one gr