Why do we tell legends and spread rumors when they most likely not true?

Question

Why do we tell legends and spread rumors when they most likely not true?

Answer 1

Because it is fun to know something that the other person does not know. I have been an Urbanologist for over 20 years. If you think it is fun to spread urban legends, it is much more fun to squelch them.
Try one and see. Does glass flow? No, but if you ask an educated group of friends there will be someone who learned in school that glass is a liquid in a near solid state. They are wrong, but they will fight with you.
I would say your question should say when they are not true. What is wrong with talking about an exploding whale (they blew it up after its dead carcass washed ashore) with the result of huge chunks of whale landing everywhere.
Yet is fun to talk about how legends start, and why they start.

Answer 2

Various reasons.

Legends -- Stories which become legends often have a base in a real event which becomes exaggerated as it is told from person to person. Sometimes these stories will have morals attached to them which give them value, and sometimes they're just interesting and fun to tell.

Rumors -- People who start and spread rumors often will have one of two motives: 1) personal advancement or 2) mistaken assumptions. People who start rumors purposely often have some personal goal in mind and use the lies to better their own place in society. Or attempt to, anyway. Other people start rumors on accident by jumping to conclusions about a situation that they actually know nothing about. For example, someone might notice a female co-worker is sick that morning and has gained some weight and assume she is pregnant. She might just have the flu and be eating lots of junk food.

Answer 3

Legends and rumors are two very different things, and have two very different motivations.
Legends, for instance, are a way of connecting with the past. Heroic legends, like Hercules and other Greek legends (myths if you prefer) were a way to educate the young on the gods/goddesses, instill a sense of pride in country, and connect the people to the past. Same goes for American Tall Tales, like Paul Bunyan and John Henry. Some of them are based on truth, with embellishment designed to cause a sense of wonder, pride and accomplishment.
Rumors, on the other hand, are vicious. The only motivation I have ever seen for them is ostracizing a person. They take small kernels of truth...John doesn't like corn...and turn them into sensational stories of vicious intent...John refused to eat the corn his mother-in-law made, at the holiday table and cussed at her about it........Rumors, for some, impart a sense of power. I hate rumor and gossip...hate it.

Answer 4

becoz it is a good story, thats why it spread....

like the story, "the odysseus"

its now legend...

in a few years maybe Lord of the rings will be a legend

Answer 5

Ugh! Especially on Yahoo answers!

Why do people answer questions with guesses or whatever sounds like the best truth they can come up with, especially when we have so many resources at our fingertips?

Does it make people feel good?
Is there any psychological research on this?
Would the answer change the inclinations anyway?

Answer 6

We want to keep alive what is valuable to us. The King is not dead! Jesus came back from the dead! We will live in heaven and be happy forever!

Answer 7

we tell legends not the break tadition and we tell rumors cause it is fun.

Answer 8

Because it makes life a lot more interesting.

Answer 9

Sometimes when you wrap a truth in a lie, it become more easy to swallow and digest.

Answer 10

So you can get somebody to listen.