Are you also one of them who is concerned every time they swear? Well, you are not alone.
Most women avoid swearing in general. But then again, it’s because swearing is considered taboo. However, research shows that women who swear are more intelligent, funnier, and bold.
If you’ve ever resisted the impulse to scream a string of obscenities, reconsider. According to some studies, it may be preferable to let the filth go.
A penchant for swearing does not appear to be a bad thing from a scientific standpoint. Swearing gets associated with attributes like verbal fluency, openness, and honesty, according to studies. In addition, it lowers tension, dulls the sensation of pain, develops peer camaraderie, and gets linked to traits like verbal fluency, intelligence, and frankness.
Cursing has both physical and mental consequences. For example, a 2018 study published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise said a few choice phrases could make you more vital during a workout. Participants in the study were able to squeeze harder and longer while cursing while clutching a hand vise.
Pain Relief
Swearing is a common reaction to pain, as anyone who has ever whacked their thumb with a hammer can attest. For years, though, some pain professionals believed that cursing didn’t assist much in certain instances. Instead, they hypothesized that swearing has a “catastrophizing” effect, causing people to overestimate or exaggerate the degree of their discomfort.
Researchers from the School of Psychology at Keele University in the United Kingdom set out to see if swearing affects pain perception. The scientists hypothesized that swearing was a “maladaptive” response to pain and that swearing would make pain seem worse.
Surprisingly, the researchers discovered that swearing boosts a person’s pain tolerance. Sixty-seven undergraduate participants were given the challenge of immersing their hands in ice-cold water for as long as they could stand it while uttering a swear term of their choice. Then, the students got asked to repeat the experiment, but this time using a neutral, non-taboo word. According to the research team, volunteers were able to keep their hands submerged in the freezing water for longer while repeating the swear phrase.
Furthermore, because swearing was associated with an increase in heart rate, the researchers believe that cursing may activate a person’s “fight-or-flight” reaction. They propose that swearing elicits negative feelings that act as a warning system, alerting people to danger and triggering a natural defensive mechanism.
Damn Honest
Cursing can demonstrate to influence our social dynamics in addition to its effects on the body and mind. For example, according to a 2012 study, swearing can improve an argument’s effectiveness and persuasiveness. One can also use cursing to express an emotional response to something without resorting to physical violence.
While many people believe cursing to be unsavory, a new study found that persons who curse are more likely, to tell the truth, and have a better level of integrity.
Following a survey of how often people use profanity, the researchers conducted a series of tests to see how honest people were. Profanity and honesty have a clear correlation, according to the study’s findings. Cursing gets linked to lower levels of interpersonal deceit and overall higher levels of integrity.
Fluent in Foulness
For many, swearing isn’t simply an indication of offensive conduct; one assumes that people swear because they don’t have the vocabulary, education, or even brains to express themselves in other ways. To put it another way, when words fail us, we cuss.
The psychologists discovered that a person’s fluency in the English language gets linked to their ability to swear. In other words, swearing may indicate a higher level of intelligence and a more extensive vocabulary rather than a lower level.
The subjects got asked to think of as many words beginning with a specific letter of the alphabet as they could in one minute for the study. They then challenged the participants to spit out as many foul words as possible in the same amount of time. The investigators discovered that people who scored higher in verbal fluency were also more suited to spit obscenities when they compared the results of both fluency tests.
5 reasons swearing is a sign of intelligence, helps manage pain, and more.
1. Cursing may be a sign of intelligence
Swearing has been demonstrated in research as a sign of verbal supremacy and may also bring other benefits.
According to a 2015 study, well-educated and have a large vocabulary are better at coming up with swear words than those who are less morally competent.
Participants got asked to write down as many words that began with the letters F, A, or S as they could in one minute. Then, they spent another minute brainstorming swear terms, starting with those three letters. According to the study, those who came up with the most F, A, and S words also created the most swear words.
To the extent that language gets linked to intellect, this is an indication of intelligence. So, for example, people who are good at language can come up with many swear words.
Swearing also gets linked to a higher level of social intelligence. Having the ability to recognize when and where it is proper to swear and when it is not. It is a social cognitive talent like dressing appropriately for the occasion. That’s an advanced social tool.
2. Swearing may be a sign of honesty
Profanity and honesty get linked in scientific studies. For example, a set of three research released in 2017 indicated that those who cursed lied less on an interpersonal level and had greater levels of integrity overall.
You’ll come across as more honest if you’re sincere in expressing your emotions using powerful phrases.
While using profanity was linked to more excellent honesty, the researchers emphasized that “the findings should not get construed to suggest that the more profanity a person uses, the less likely he or she is to participate in more significant unethical or immoral activities.”
3. Profanity improves pain tolerance
Do you want to finish that workout? Drop an F-bomb if you’re going to.
Studies have shown that riders on bikes who swore while pedaling against resistance had more power and strength than those who used “neutral” language.
According to research, people who cursed while squeezing a hand vice were also able to press harder and longer.
It is not only helpful to your endurance to spout obscenities: it is also beneficial to your mental health. If you pinch your finger in the car door and yell “sh*t” instead of “shot,” you could feel less agony.
Another study discovered that people who cursed as they dipped their fingers into freezing water felt minor discomfort and could keep their hands in the water longer than those who said nothing.
The main point is that swearing can help you deal with suffering. Cussing triggers the body’s ancient defense reaction, which causes a stress response. Adrenaline rushes through the body, speeding up heart rate and respiration and preparing muscles for fight or flight.
Simultaneously, the body undergoes a physiological reaction known as the analgesic response, making it more resistant to pain.
So, it appears that swearing causes an emotional response in yourself, which causes a moderate stress response, which results in a pain decrease due to stress.
But be cautious the next time you decide to add swearing to your workout. Curse words lose their power over pain when they are used too frequently, according to studies.
4. Cussing is a sign of creativity
Swearing appears to originate in the brain’s right hemisphere, which is commonly referred to as the “creative brain.”
Since the Victorian era, swearing gets studied when doctors discovered that patients who had lost their capacity to speak could nevertheless curse.
They swore with incredible ease. Even when the rest of our language gets forgotten, childhood reprimands, swear words, and terms of love — words with meaningful emotional content learned early on tend to get maintained in the brain.
5. Throwing expletives instead of punches
Why do we decide to swear? Perhaps because swearing has evolved to provide an evolutionary benefit that protects us from physical injury.
Swearing allows us to communicate our feelings symbolically rather than verbally. Cursing becomes a distant type of hostility at this point. But, on the other hand, it offers the benefit of emotional efficiency in that it is swift and straightforward.
A universal language
What is it about the usage of dirty words that makes them so powerful? First, of course, the taboo has power. Second, reality gets acknowledged: you may find swear words in almost every language on the planet.
Does this imply that we should cuss anytime we want, regardless of our surroundings or others’ feelings? Not. But, at the very least, you’ll be able to forgive yourself the next time you accidentally drop an F-bomb.
So, it is okay to swear sometimes. There is no need to beat yourself up over a swear word. Always keep in mind that swearing has its benefits and that you will appear more intelligent if you occasionally swear. So, don’t sweat it.