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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."
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday January 17 2020, @03:11PM (4 children)
I can swear in Spanish, French, German, Russian, Polish, Finnish, and Japanese (though there are very few proper swears in that one). It's helpful when no one around you knows what it is you just said.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 17 2020, @03:42PM (1 child)
And frequently English - we've noted!
(Score: 3, Touché) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday January 18 2020, @03:31AM
Does that offend you? :) Fainting couch is right over yonder if you're havin' an attack of the vapors, snowflake. Remember: angry doesn't mean wrong!
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 18 2020, @02:18AM
But can you swear in Klingon? Qu'vatlh!
(Score: 2) by Common Joe on Saturday January 18 2020, @10:01AM
When I was back in high school, a good friend of mine in school never told me to fuck off. Instead, he said, "May you have a thousand children." It was a curse worse than any four letter word we could wield. And we'd always have a good laugh over it.