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Swearing is a universal habit, with everyone having their preferred expressions for moments of frustration or dislike. It’s so ingrained in human behavior that most of us do it without hesitation—until an elder overhears. Interestingly, the science, history, and psychology of swearing are as captivating as the diverse ways people express it.
10. It’s a Valid Form of Pain Management
Profanity and pain are deeply connected. Whether you trip in the dark or accidentally crush your finger, the immediate reaction is often a phrase that might have earned you a scolding in your childhood.
There’s scientific backing for this phenomenon. A study conducted by Keele University revealed that swearing can serve as effective pain relief. Dr. Richard Stephen, from Keele’s psychology department, conducted an experiment involving 64 participants to measure their pain tolerance with and without swearing. The inspiration for this study came from Stephen’s experience in the delivery room, where his wife used a series of colorful expletives during her labor.
To replicate pain, Stephen asked participants to submerge their hands in ice water for as long as possible. Half were instructed to swear, while the other half remained silent. The swearing group consistently endured the cold longer and reported feeling less pain compared to the non-swearing group.
Stephen’s team also investigated whether the frequency of swearing in daily life influenced its pain-relieving effects. They found that habitual swearers experienced a diminished pain reduction effect, likely because their frequent use of profanity had dulled its emotional and adrenaline-inducing impact. The study concluded that swearing triggers a fight-or-flight response, helping individuals better withstand pain. This phenomenon was also showcased by Stephen Fry and Brian Blessed on Fry’s Planet Word.
9. John Taylor: The Convicted Blasphemer
Swear words gain their taboo status by referencing forbidden subjects. In the 17th century, blasphemy was among the most forbidden topics, and it remains the foundation of many words still considered inappropriate today. In 1676, John Taylor, an Englishman, was brought before the Westminster court as a stark example of the dangers of blasphemy.
The charges against Taylor, which still survive, were highly provocative for the era. His trial coincided with the courts' efforts to draft legislation targeting not only blasphemy but also profanity, making his case particularly significant.
Taylor’s statements were so shocking that he was initially sent to Bedlam to determine if he was simply blasphemous or genuinely insane. When his time at Bedlam failed to cure his blasphemous tendencies, he was summoned back to court.
While official court records are lost, fragments of eyewitness testimonies confirm that Taylor openly repeated his controversial beliefs in court. Despite his attempts to clarify his words and deny their blasphemous nature, the court remained unconvinced.
The Lord Chief Justice not only sentenced Taylor but also declared such speech a criminal offense. Blasphemy was seen as an attack on the nation’s core beliefs, making it a state matter. Taylor was fined heavily, forced to stand in pillories in Westminster and Guildford with a sign labeling him a blasphemer, and imprisoned until someone vouched for his conduct. Records show no evidence of his release.
8. Politicians Who Swear Win Our Hearts
Politicians operate on a different wavelength, often tailoring their campaigns to resonate with ordinary citizens. A study by Nicoletta Cavazza, featured in the Journal of Language and Social Psychology, highlights a simple strategy for politicians to connect better: using swear words.
In the study, over 100 participants read a fictional blog post by a made-up candidate running in a hypothetical election. When the post, which addressed unemployment and included mild profanities, was read, participants expressed a greater likelihood of voting for the candidate and held a more favorable view of them overall.
Swearing is typically reserved for casual contexts, and when politicians engage in it, they shed their usual lofty demeanor. This makes them appear more approachable and human. Profanity is an emotional expression, and its use by politicians signals empathy and understanding of their voters' struggles.
However, this strategy only works for male politicians. The study revealed that when a female politician used swear words, it neither improved nor harmed her ratings. Researchers had anticipated that swearing would negatively impact her public perception, aligning more with traditional gender stereotypes.
The study also left unanswered whether there’s a threshold for how much swearing is acceptable before it starts harming a politician’s campaign.
7. The Most Profane State in America
Have you ever called a company and heard a message stating that your call is being recorded for “quality assurance”? Have you ever questioned if those recordings are actually used for their stated purpose?
Indeed, they are. In 2013, the advertising agency Marchex analyzed over 600,000 customer service calls from the previous year, covering 30 different industries across the United States. Their focus was on two key behaviors: swearing and politeness. After compiling the data, they ranked each state based on rudeness levels.
Contrary to popular belief, New Yorkers didn’t top the list for vulgarity. Instead, they landed in the middle, earning the label “Occasionally Profane.”
Ohio, however, takes the crown for the most colorful language. The state’s residents could benefit from a thorough verbal cleansing.
Ohio led the pack in the “Sailors” category and also made the top five for “Least Courteous” states, alongside Tennessee, Indiana, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin. Joining Ohio in the “Sailors” group were Maryland, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Illinois, while Washington, DC, residents were the least likely to swear.
The study also revealed that men accounted for about 66 percent of the swearing on customer service calls. Additionally, calls made in the morning were twice as likely to include explicit language. Most profanity-laden calls also exceeded 10 minutes, often due to lengthy problem-solving or extended hold times.
6. Using Profanity in a Non-Native Language
Although many curse words have become so commonplace that they’ve lost their impact, certain expressions still carry significant weight. These are the kinds of words that resonate deeply, almost physically, and research suggests our brains may have a natural filter against offensive language spoken in a foreign tongue.
In an experiment designed to explore whether the brain can distinguish between emotional and literal meanings, researchers at Bangor University in the UK examined how bilingual individuals fluent in both Chinese and English reacted to swear words. The study involved three groups: native English speakers, native Chinese speakers, and native Chinese speakers who acquired English as a second language during their early years.
Participants were shown word pairs—one neutral and the other carrying either a neutral, positive, or negative tone. If the words were related, they were instructed to press a button while their neural responses were recorded.
Brain scans revealed that bilingual individuals translated neutral and positive words from their second language but not negative ones, indicating the brain may have a natural mechanism to detach from discomfort in a non-native language.
This aligns with research from the University of Warsaw, which explored swearing habits among bilingual individuals. The study found that people often preferred cursing in languages other than their mother tongue. Since language is deeply tied to emotions, the findings imply a stronger emotional bond with one’s first language compared to a second.
The phenomenon became more pronounced when the study examined highly offensive terms, such as racial and ethnic slurs. Participants often intensified the impact of these words when using their second language.
5. The Link Between Swearing and Intelligence
Many believe that frequent swearing stems from a limited vocabulary, but scientific evidence suggests the opposite is true.
Researchers from Marist College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts proposed that individuals with an extensive repertoire of swear words likely possess a broad vocabulary overall. To validate this, they conducted a series of experiments.
In one study, 43 participants were asked to list as many swear words as possible in 60 seconds, followed by naming as many animals as they could in the same timeframe. A second experiment required participants to write down their responses under similar conditions.
The results showed that those who could recall more swear words also performed better on other vocabulary tasks. A clear link was found between the number of offensive words they knew and the breadth of their overall vocabulary.
4. My First Swear
Most parents fear the moment their child repeats a swear word overheard in casual conversation. Psychology professor Timothy Jay, known for his research on swearing and vocabulary, notes that children today are not only cursing more frequently than two decades ago but are also learning these words at a younger age.
Jay explains that modern children often start swearing long before they begin school—a shift from past generations who typically picked up such language in schoolyards. He attributes this trend to factors like parental hypocrisy, where adults forbid swearing but do it themselves, and the increased prevalence of profanity in everyday dialogue. Studies show that 0.3 to 0.7 percent of daily spoken words are swear words.
Today, many toddlers are cursing by age two, learning swear words alongside regular vocabulary. While they may not grasp the meaning, children are quick to mimic sounds they hear. Swearing captures their attention just as it does adults', and some repeat it for the reaction it elicits, while others simply enjoy the sound.
3. The Most Unfortunately Named Defendant
Exploring the origins of modern language can be fascinating, especially when it comes to swear words. Paul Booth from Keele University discovered the earliest known use of the F-word in court records dating back to 1310. Previously, the oldest recorded instance was from the 15th century, making Roger Fuckebythenavele a pioneer of sorts.
Booth believes this was not the man’s actual name but rather a derogatory nickname for someone of questionable character who faced serious charges, leading to his banishment—a step away from execution. Booth humorously refers to Roger as the “Inexperienced Copulator” and suggests the term likely carried the same meaning then as it does now. It’s unclear whether this was a common insult or specific to the court case.
Early evidence of the word’s use also appears in a 1373 Bristol charter, which mentions a field called Fockynggroue. Translating the Middle English spelling makes its meaning obvious, though the reason for such a name remains a mystery. The name persisted until around 1900, when it was blandly renamed Pucking Grove.
This discovery challenges previous assumptions about the origins of such words. Before these findings, it was believed the term had Scandinavian roots and first appeared in the 16th century.
So the next time you let slip a few explicit words, take comfort in knowing you’re following a tradition as old as time.
2. Swearing As A Diagnostic Tool
As we grow older, our minds can develop various issues, many of which are deeply unsettling. What’s even more alarming is that some conditions remain challenging to diagnose, even with advanced medical tools. For instance, distinguishing between Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia is incredibly difficult, as their symptoms overlap significantly, yet their treatments differ entirely. To address this, medical professionals have begun exploring swearing as a potential diagnostic aid, particularly in the early stages of these diseases.
Language plays a crucial role in identifying various brain disorders. Assessing a person’s memory and verbal skills can provide insights into the affected areas of their brain. Patients are often tasked with listing as many words as possible within a specific category, helping doctors pinpoint which brain regions are impaired.
In a study, physicians tasked patients with listing as many words as possible beginning with the letters “F,” “A,” and “S”—a method known as FAS testing. Those diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) frequently included swear words in their responses, especially during the “F” portion of the test.
In contrast, none of the Alzheimer’s patients in the study included the most notorious swear word in their “F” section responses.
FTD patients generally produced fewer words overall, and researchers remain uncertain why they were more prone to swearing. This could be linked to how the brain processes language and which areas are affected by the disease, or it might relate to a decline in behavioral inhibition and self-control.
1. Brain Function And Tourette’s
Despite significant medical advancements, Tourette’s syndrome remains poorly understood. Believed to have genetic roots and potentially linked to abnormalities in the basal ganglia, the condition manifests in tics that vary widely, even within families. One of the most well-known tics is coprolalia, the involuntary utterance of swear words.
This raises an intriguing question: Why swearing? Why do some individuals with Tourette’s involuntarily shout obscenities rather than, for example, lines from Star Wars or catchy commercial slogans?
The answer likely lies in how the brain handles swear words. Just as we consciously recognize them as distinct from everyday language, our subconscious seems to treat them differently. Swear words appear to be isolated in a specific mental “time-out” zone, though the exact mechanisms remain unclear.
Research involving individuals with aphasia supports the notion that swear words occupy a unique space in the brain. Aphasia, a condition marked by the loss of language abilities, often affects those with dementia or brain injuries. While much of their vocabulary may vanish, their ability to swear frequently remains intact.
Further evidence for this theory is our ability to learn swear words faster than ordinary ones. Children pick up profanity quickly, and the same phenomenon occurs when learning a new language. Do you know any words in a language you’re not fluent in?
You might hear a polite “bathroom, please” among them, but chances are, some of those words are expletives. Right?
This trend isn’t exclusive to English—it’s universal. It implies that swear words are stored in the most primitive and resilient areas of the brain, regions that are fundamental and deeply ingrained.
