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posted by Fnord666 on Friday January 17 2020, @01:33PM   Printer-friendly
from the well-f***-me dept.

Worried About Swearing Too Much? Science Says You Shouldn't Be:

Well, damn. Maybe you stubbed your toe first thing in the morning. Or some thoughtless commuter forced you to slam the brakes on the drive to work. Perhaps you're just fed up with it all and feel like sinking to your knees and cursing the heavens.

If you've ever suppressed the urge to unleash a string of obscenities, maybe think again. Some research suggests that it might be a better idea to simply let the filth fly.

Scientifically speaking, a penchant for profanity doesn't seem to be such a bad thing. Studies have shown that swearing relieves stress, dulls the sensation of pain, fosters camaraderie among peers and is linked with traits like verbal fluency, openness and honesty.

And the effects of cursing are physical as well as mental. A 2018 study in Psychology of Sport and Exercise found that letting out a few choice words during a workout can actually make you stronger. In the study, participants who cursed aloud while gripping a hand vise were able to squeeze harder and longer.

Timothy Jay, professor emeritus of psychology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, thinks that humans partly developed taboo language as an emotional release valve.

"There's a point where it's just more efficient to say, 'F*&^ you,' than it is to hit somebody," adds Jay, a world-renowned expert in cursing. "We've evolved this very efficient way to vent our emotions and convey them to others."


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  • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday January 17 2020, @02:20PM (7 children)

    by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday January 17 2020, @02:20PM (#944523) Journal

    I find the most withering pejoratives are the precise ones that aren't curse words. Instead of calling a man an "idiot," call him "simple." Instead of calling a bad driver an asshole, call him a "jehu." And so on.

    The way classic Southerners use poetic insults is pretty good too, eg. "You're lower than a snake's belly."

    --
    Washington DC delenda est.
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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by BsAtHome on Friday January 17 2020, @02:33PM (1 child)

    by BsAtHome (889) on Friday January 17 2020, @02:33PM (#944524)

    There is a difference in using curse words for the intend of insult or as an expression of frustration. The paper measures the effect on performance, where the curse words are a personal expression of frustration (forcing you to do better). They show an actual significant impact in the paper.

    Concluding that using same curse words in other contexts are "good" would be a stretch. It could be, but not necessarily so.

    • (Score: 1, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday January 17 2020, @11:47PM

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday January 17 2020, @11:47PM (#944796) Homepage

      I consider written and spoken cursing to be like food seasonings -- Used judiciously and with balance they can amplify a message, but put too much on and now you just have a wastebasket-worthy plate of crap nobody wants to taste.

      Compare the writings of Hunter S Thompson or beat Literature, or spoken occasional use of the word "asshole" or bullshit, against the "Fuck you, you fucking fuck shit goddamn" speaking style of Bernie Supporters and other filthy modern American commies. Listening to the recent Veritas transcript of the Bernie Bro "Mr. Gulag" brought back memories of when my buddy (who had Tourette's) and I used to play Sega Master System and everytime he died it was "Fucking goddamn nigger frog-fuck shitanimal!" as he threw his controller against the wall.

      I never thought there would be a whole demographic of people, people who have a say in deciding our political future, that would adopt that style as their baseline language.

  • (Score: 3, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday January 17 2020, @02:41PM (1 child)

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Friday January 17 2020, @02:41PM (#944527) Homepage Journal

    The Irish are better at them. My personal favorite is "May all your teeth fall out but one and may that one have a toothache."

    --
    My rights don't end where your fear begins.
  • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Friday January 17 2020, @02:53PM (2 children)

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Friday January 17 2020, @02:53PM (#944530) Journal

    It's a balance though.

    Sometimes linguistic effort indicates you've considered a great deal about what you detest about a particularly inarticulate ape wearing ill-fitting cargo pants, which shows how thorough your contempt is.

    Sometimes linguistic effort indicates you've considered a great deal about what you detest about some dumbshit, and you're wasting your life being angry about it.

    The deciding factor ought to be your ability to ignore them and that solving the problem.

    • (Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Friday January 17 2020, @04:57PM (1 child)

      by Phoenix666 (552) on Friday January 17 2020, @04:57PM (#944590) Journal

      Sure, but there's no real effort involved if you have the vocabulary. Clubbing somebody to death will work, but running them through with a foil in just the right place bespeaks an artful economy of motion.

      --
      Washington DC delenda est.
      • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Friday January 17 2020, @05:08PM

        by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Friday January 17 2020, @05:08PM (#944598) Journal

        Apparent effort is perhaps more relevant than actual in this case.