Understanding the 10 Most Destructive Human Behaviors

Gossip: We humans are evolutionarily set up to judge and talk about others, no matter how hurtful it might be, researchers say. Gossip establishes group boundaries and boosts self-esteem, studies have found. In many instances, the goal of gossip is not truth or accuracy. What matters is the bond that gossiping can forge, often at the expense of a third party.

Gamble: Gambling, too, seems to be in our genes and hard-wired into our brains, which might explain why such a potentially ruinous behavior is so common. Even monkeys gamble. A study that measured monkeys' desire to gamble for juice rewards found that even as potential rewards diminished, the primates acted irrationally and gambled for the chance to get a wee bit more. Luke Clark of the University of Cambridge said, "Gamblers often interpret near-misses as special events, which encourage them to continue to gamble."

Stress out: Stress can be deadly, raising the risk for heart problems and even cancer. Stress can lead to depression, which can lead to suicide. Depression is destructive behavior that's uniquely human and glaringly not on this list. Health experts suggest exercise and adequate sleep are two of the best ways to battle stress.

Nip, Tuck, Plump and Tattoo our Bodies: By 2015, 17 percent of U.S. residents will be getting cosmetic procedures, the industry predicts. Some would call it self-edification, of course, or art, or a way to kill time or perhaps rebel against authority. The practice is ancient, often tied to cults and religions or power and status, and in fact much of the modern nip, tuck, paint, poke and plump procedures are benign compared with some ancient practices. People have reshaped their heads, elongated their necks, stretched their ears and lips, painted their bodies or affixed permanent jewelry for thousands of years. Perhaps the strongest motivations nowadays are to be beautiful, however one might define that, or simply to fit in with a particular group. The lure of beauty can't be denied as a prime motivator to nip and tuck.

Bully: One study found that almost 30 percent of U.S. office workers experience bullying by bosses or coworkers, from withholding of information critical to getting the job done to insulting rumors and other purposeful humiliation. And once it starts, it tends to get worse. "Bullying, by definition, is escalatory. Experts say to combat workplace bullies, respond rationally, specifically, and consistently. Psychologists say we bully other people to gain status and power.

Lie: A popular TV show, Lie to Me, conducts a poll that shows the average person lies 42 times a week. Nobody knows for sure why humans lie so much, but studies find that it's common, and that it's often tied to deep psychological factors. The art of lying is not easy. One study concluded that lying takes 30 percent longer than telling the truth. Recent studies have found that people lie in workplace e-mail more than they did with old- fashioned writing.Animals are also known to be capable of deception, and even robots have learned to lie, in an experiment where they were rewarded or punished depending on performance in a competition with other robots.

Cheat: According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, nearly one in five Americans think cheating on taxes is morally acceptable or is not a moral issue. Few human traits are more fascinating. People who espouse high moral standards are among the worst cheats. These people with high moral standards consider cheating to be an ethically justifiable behavior in certain situations. The worst cheaters tend to be those with high morals.Cheating on spouses by celebrities and politicians thought to be moral leaders has become rampant.

Steal: Theft can be motivated by need. But for kleptomaniacs, stealing can be motivated by the sheer thrill of it. One study of 43,000 people found 11 percent admitted to having shoplifted at least once. Theft may be in our genes. After all, even monkeys do it. Capuchin monkeys use predator alarm calls to warn fellow monkeys to scatter and avoid threats. But some will make fake calls, and then steal food left by those that scattered.

Crave Violence: Violence is found throughout recorded human history, leading some researchers to conclude that we crave it, that it's in our genes and affects reward centers in our brains. However, going back millions of years, evidence suggests our ancient human ancestors were more peace-loving than people today, though there are signs of cannibalism among the earliest pre-history humans.Many researchers believe violence in humans is an evolved tendency that helped with survival.

Cling to Bad Habits: Perhaps everything else on this list would be far less problematic if we were not such creatures of habit. In fact, studies have found that even when the risks of a particular bad habit are well-known, people find it hard to quit. Cindy Jardine of the University of Alberta, who has studied why people cling to bad habits, cites these reasons include innate human defiance, need for social acceptance, inability to truly understand the nature of risk, individualistic view of the world, the ability to rationalize unhealthy habits and genetic predisposition to addiction.