diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala
index 7d1222a7ab..e2b5c8e751 100644
--- a/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/main/scala/akka/cluster/Cluster.scala
@@ -618,13 +618,16 @@ class Cluster(system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension { clusterNode ⇒
 
     if (!state.compareAndSet(localState, newState)) leaving(address) // recur if we failed update
     else {
-      failureDetector heartbeat address // update heartbeat in failure detector
-      if (convergence(newState.latestGossip).isDefined) {
-        newState.memberMembershipChangeListeners foreach { _ notify newMembers }
-      }
+      if (address != selfAddress) failureDetector heartbeat address // update heartbeat in failure detector
+      notifyMembershipChangeListeners(localState, newState)
     }
   }
 
+  private def notifyMembershipChangeListeners(oldState: State, newState: State): Unit =
+    if (newState.latestGossip != oldState.latestGossip && convergence(newState.latestGossip).isDefined) {
+      newState.memberMembershipChangeListeners foreach { _ notify newState.latestGossip.members }
+    }
+
   /**
    * State transition to EXITING.
    */
@@ -698,9 +701,7 @@ class Cluster(system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension { clusterNode ⇒
 
     if (!state.compareAndSet(localState, newState)) downing(address) // recur if we fail the update
     else {
-      if (convergence(newState.latestGossip).isDefined) {
-        newState.memberMembershipChangeListeners foreach { _ notify newState.latestGossip.members }
-      }
+      notifyMembershipChangeListeners(localState, newState)
     }
   }
 
@@ -741,10 +742,7 @@ class Cluster(system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension { clusterNode ⇒
       log.debug("Cluster Node [{}] - Receiving gossip from [{}]", selfAddress, sender.address)
 
       if (sender.address != selfAddress) failureDetector heartbeat sender.address
-
-      if (convergence(newState.latestGossip).isDefined) {
-        newState.memberMembershipChangeListeners foreach { _ notify newState.latestGossip.members }
-      }
+      notifyMembershipChangeListeners(localState, newState)
     }
   }
 
@@ -841,14 +839,14 @@ class Cluster(system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension { clusterNode ⇒
   private[akka] def gossip(): Unit = {
     val localState = state.get
 
+    log.debug("Cluster Node [{}] - Initiating new round of gossip", selfAddress)
+
     if (isSingletonCluster(localState)) {
       // gossip to myself
       // TODO could perhaps be optimized, no need to gossip to myself when Up?
       gossipTo(selfAddress)
 
     } else if (isAvailable(localState)) {
-      log.debug("Cluster Node [{}] - Initiating new round of gossip", selfAddress)
-
       val localGossip = localState.latestGossip
       // important to not accidentally use `map` of the SortedSet, since the original order is not preserved
       val localMembers = localGossip.members.toIndexedSeq
@@ -917,9 +915,7 @@ class Cluster(system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension { clusterNode ⇒
         else {
           log.info("Cluster Node [{}] - Marking node(s) as UNREACHABLE [{}]", selfAddress, newlyDetectedUnreachableMembers.mkString(", "))
 
-          if (convergence(newState.latestGossip).isDefined) {
-            newState.memberMembershipChangeListeners foreach { _ notify newMembers }
-          }
+          notifyMembershipChangeListeners(localState, newState)
         }
       }
     }
@@ -1040,9 +1036,7 @@ class Cluster(system: ExtendedActorSystem) extends Extension { clusterNode ⇒
         // if we won the race then update else try again
         if (!state.compareAndSet(localState, newState)) leaderActions() // recur
         else {
-          if (convergence(newState.latestGossip).isDefined) {
-            newState.memberMembershipChangeListeners foreach { _ notify newGossip.members }
-          }
+          notifyMembershipChangeListeners(localState, newState)
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/SunnyWeatherSpec.scala b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/SunnyWeatherSpec.scala
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b74fdd09db
--- /dev/null
+++ b/akka-cluster/src/multi-jvm/scala/akka/cluster/SunnyWeatherSpec.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+/**
+ *  Copyright (C) 2009-2012 Typesafe Inc. <http://www.typesafe.com>
+ */
+package akka.cluster
+
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigFactory
+import org.scalatest.BeforeAndAfter
+import akka.remote.testkit.MultiNodeConfig
+import akka.remote.testkit.MultiNodeSpec
+import akka.testkit._
+import akka.util.duration._
+import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference
+import scala.collection.immutable.SortedSet
+
+object SunnyWeatherMultiJvmSpec extends MultiNodeConfig {
+  val first = role("first")
+  val second = role("second")
+  val third = role("third")
+  val fourth = role("fourth")
+  val fifth = role("fifth")
+
+  commonConfig(ConfigFactory.parseString("""
+    akka.cluster {
+      gossip-interval = 400 ms
+      nr-of-deputy-nodes = 0
+    }
+    akka.loglevel = DEBUG
+    """))
+}
+
+class SunnyWeatherMultiJvmNode1 extends SunnyWeatherSpec
+class SunnyWeatherMultiJvmNode2 extends SunnyWeatherSpec
+class SunnyWeatherMultiJvmNode3 extends SunnyWeatherSpec
+class SunnyWeatherMultiJvmNode4 extends SunnyWeatherSpec
+class SunnyWeatherMultiJvmNode5 extends SunnyWeatherSpec
+
+abstract class SunnyWeatherSpec
+  extends MultiNodeSpec(SunnyWeatherMultiJvmSpec)
+  with MultiNodeClusterSpec {
+
+  import SunnyWeatherMultiJvmSpec._
+
+  override def initialParticipants = roles.size
+
+  "A normal cluster" must {
+    "be healthy" taggedAs LongRunningTest in {
+
+      // start some
+      awaitClusterUp(first, second, third)
+      runOn(first, second, third) {
+        log.info("3 joined")
+      }
+
+      // add a few more
+      awaitClusterUp(first, second, third, fourth, fifth)
+      log.info("5 joined")
+
+      val unexpected = new AtomicReference[SortedSet[Member]]
+      cluster.registerListener(new MembershipChangeListener {
+        def notify(members: SortedSet[Member]) {
+          // we don't expected any changes to the cluster
+          unexpected.set(members)
+        }
+      })
+
+      for (n ← 1 to 40) {
+        testConductor.enter("period-" + n)
+        unexpected.get must be(null)
+        awaitUpConvergence(roles.size)
+        assertLeaderIn(roles)
+        if (n % 5 == 0) log.info("Passed period [{}]", n)
+        1.seconds.sleep
+      }
+
+      testConductor.enter("after")
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/akka-remote-tests/src/test/scala/akka/remote/testkit/MultiNodeSpec.scala b/akka-remote-tests/src/test/scala/akka/remote/testkit/MultiNodeSpec.scala
index 01a08da718..a0d7d5eac4 100644
--- a/akka-remote-tests/src/test/scala/akka/remote/testkit/MultiNodeSpec.scala
+++ b/akka-remote-tests/src/test/scala/akka/remote/testkit/MultiNodeSpec.scala
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ abstract class MultiNodeConfig {
 
   private[testkit] def deployments(node: RoleName): Seq[String] = (_deployments get node getOrElse Nil) ++ _allDeploy
 
-  private[testkit] def roles: Seq[RoleName] = _roles
+  def roles: Seq[RoleName] = _roles
 
 }