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

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

upstart writes in with an IRC submission for AzumaHazuki:

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."

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by Freeman on Friday January 17 2020, @07:04PM (3 children)

    by Freeman (732) on Friday January 17 2020, @07:04PM (#944664) Journal

    While cursing may be an efficient way to say you really don't like someone. It's more of a crutch for expressing one's emotions. While it's not as objectively bad as hitting someone, it can definitely escalate emotions and lead to actual fighting. There's a difference between effectively communicating your feelings and exercising your freedom of speech, for example. https://xkcd.com/1357/ [xkcd.com]

    Anger and Reconciliation
    (Luke 12:57-59)
    21You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’c 22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brotherd will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’e will be subject to the Sanhedrin.f But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.g

    23Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
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  • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday January 17 2020, @11:52PM

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday January 17 2020, @11:52PM (#944799) Homepage

    Using the lord's name in vain ("God Dammit!") is probably my favorite standalone curse and every day I utter it at least 10 times, and 8 of those times will be while driving.

  • (Score: 2) by Magic Oddball on Saturday January 18 2020, @01:43AM

    by Magic Oddball (3847) on Saturday January 18 2020, @01:43AM (#944832) Journal

    Swearing might escalate someone else's emotions, but for the person exclaiming the phrase in a moment of anger or pain, it reduces the negative emotion/sensation. The positive bonding effects of swearing between people are present when the person swearing is expressing a sentiment they both share about a third party/problem; if the person is swearing at the other individual, obviously they're angry enough to want to irritate their target.

    Also, religious doctrine is irrelevant as evidence in soft or hard science discussions.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by Azuma Hazuki on Saturday January 18 2020, @03:33AM

    by Azuma Hazuki (5086) on Saturday January 18 2020, @03:33AM (#944860) Journal

    Yeah, the Big Book of Genocide doesn't get to claim the moral high ground here. You *and* your demonic God-figure can go to that Hell y'all've got such a permanent hard-on for (yes, I know you're an Annihilationist).

    --
    I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...