Trust us, it's for your own good.

The singer-songwriter took a break from wining and dining Jennifer Aniston Tuesday night, and things got a little rough for a celebrity gossip photographer who tried to procure a picture of the crooner but got too close for his bodyguard's liking.

Mayer dined with a friend at Wolfgang’s Steakhouse in Beverly Hills, then departed out the front door, right into the belly of the celeb news monster.

So to speak.

As the douchebag musician ducked into his BMW, his bodyguard shoved a celebrity gossip cameraman to the ground, briefly grabbing him by the throat in the process.

The photographer, Marc Rhea, immediately stood up and started screaming at Mayer & Co. before visiting a Tarzana hospital to make sure he had no serious injuries.

Rhea has not filed a police report. Yet. Here's the altercation ...

John Mayer Bodyguard Fights Celebrity Gossip Photographer