The older you are, the less likely you are to swear (except in the car—studies say most people swear when driving) but what causes us to let rip with a four-letter word otherwise? What does it say about us, what’s its role and what determines how much you swear, or the words you choose to do it with? Let’s delve into the science of swearing…
BY Helen Foster
If you’re, erm, of a certain age, chances are you went through something in childhood that would horrify social services today; you’d repeat a word that a friend had taught you, or that you’d heard from an adult, in front of your mum, dad or gran, and next thing you knew you’d been marched off into the bathroom to get your mouth washed out with soap! With a mouthful of bubbles you’d promise to never do it again—but, here you are on the motorway, and you’re definitely not sticking to that promise!
Saying your first curse word might be a milestone, but, as we get older, swearing becomes part of the rich lexicon of language that we use to express ourselves, and while we might associate swear words with negative communication, only eight per cent of people actually swear to cause offence. “There are many other reasons that we swear, including positive uses like expressing excitement, emphasis, coping with shared adversity or to create a more informal environment,” says Dr Karyn Stapleton, a senior lecturer in Communication at Ulster University. “And there’s cathartic swearing, which provides a means of releasing strong emotions, or feelings like anger, pain or frustration.”
Cathartic swearing fascinates scientists as it shows some really interesting facts about bad language. Studies at the UK’s Keele University revealed that when under stress, a person can think of considerably more swear words than someone asked to do the same task when relaxed, and it’s now suspected that rather than being controlled by the normal part of the brain that handles language (the left cortex), swear words are actually processed by the limbic system that normally controls emotional thoughts.
The emotional link with swearing is reinforced by physiological changes, akin to those we feel during stress, that happen when we swear—repeat a swear word a few times and your heart rate will increase and you’ll start to sweat. If you feel the need to put your hand on something painful, you’ll be able to hold it there roughly a third longer when swearing, and according to further research at Keele University, strength, self-confidence and your willingness to
