The psychology of why we swear — and how to do it properly in different languages
The psychology of why we swear — and how to do it properly in different languages
ldodgson@businessinsider.com (Lindsay Dodgson)
7/16/2018
Swearing has a bad reputation. It's considered unprofessional to swear in a job interview, for example. But in reality it's something pretty much all of us do on a daily basis. In fact, we speak about 10 swear words a day on average, and children start swearing by the age of six or younger.
Swearing could actually be a sign of a high IQ, according to psychologist Richard Stephens, and it could help us be better at things like lifting weights, and dealing with pain.
In one paper by Stephens and his team at Keele University, volunteers were asked to hold their hand in icy water for as long as they could stand it.
"When participants repeated a swear word, they were able to hold their hand in ice-cold water for, on average, some 40 seconds longer compared with when they repeated a non-swear word," Stephens said.
According to Niels Eek, a psychologist and cofounder of mental health and self development platform Remente, swear words may be associated with older parts of the brain. Most language, he said, is located in the cortex and specific language areas in the left hemisphere.
"Aphasics, or people that have suffered a stroke or other damage to the parts of the brain that deal with language control, can sometimes still sing songs or swear fluently, because of the disconnect between swearing and language," he told Business Insider. "People with mental health syndromes, such as Tourette's, can sometimes have nervous tics that involve swearing, suggesting that it is associated with a more basic brain structure called the basal ganglia."
Swear words can also show sentiment, and allow emotions and passion to shine through what we say, said Eek.
"I don't recommend using swear words often, but if you do, I feel it is important to use light and descriptive swearing words instead of harsher ones, so that you do not end up offending anyone," he said. "Swearing can sometimes also allow us to talk about taboo subjects, such as sex and religion, that we would otherwise be uncomfortable discussing."
Linguist Steven Pinker explains in his book "The Stuff of Thought," that humans swear in five basic ways: descriptively, when a curse word takes the place of a noun, verb, or adjective; idiomatically, when a curse word is used in an informal setting as part of a common phrase or expression; abusively, when you hurl an expletive at someone; emphatically, when you use bad language to underscore a point; and cathartically, when you stub your toe or get a parking ticket.
What constitutes as swearing varies a lot in different countries. For example, in the Philippines, there's a special anger vocabulary. Many words have alternatives that refer to the same thing, but it means you're cross when you say it.
A normal way of saying "Who ate my chicken?" is "Isáy nagkaón ku manók ko?" while the angry version is "Isáy naggutók ku maltók ko?"
In Brazil, the "OK" symbol we use in Europe and America is incredibly rude, and is the equivalent — or worse — to giving the middle finger. A fist slapped on top of one's other hand once or twice means "screw you."
Spanish people may say "¿Eres tonto o tiras piedras a los aviones?" Which means "Are you stupid or do you throw stones at planes?"
The "eres tonto o" prefix is a bit like saying "your mum" as an insult in English, according to language experts at Babbel.
In France, the f-word is their vulgarity of choice. French people use this word as often as English people, if not more. Meanwhile, in Mandarin, it is insulting to say "Cào nǐ zǔzōng shíbā dài’" or "F*** your ancestors to the eighteenth generation."
Swearing could actually be a sign of a high IQ, according to psychologist Richard Stephens, and it could help us be better at things like lifting weights, and dealing with pain.
In one paper by Stephens and his team at Keele University, volunteers were asked to hold their hand in icy water for as long as they could stand it.
"When participants repeated a swear word, they were able to hold their hand in ice-cold water for, on average, some 40 seconds longer compared with when they repeated a non-swear word," Stephens said.
According to Niels Eek, a psychologist and cofounder of mental health and self development platform Remente, swear words may be associated with older parts of the brain. Most language, he said, is located in the cortex and specific language areas in the left hemisphere.
"Aphasics, or people that have suffered a stroke or other damage to the parts of the brain that deal with language control, can sometimes still sing songs or swear fluently, because of the disconnect between swearing and language," he told Business Insider. "People with mental health syndromes, such as Tourette's, can sometimes have nervous tics that involve swearing, suggesting that it is associated with a more basic brain structure called the basal ganglia."
Swear words can also show sentiment, and allow emotions and passion to shine through what we say, said Eek.
"I don't recommend using swear words often, but if you do, I feel it is important to use light and descriptive swearing words instead of harsher ones, so that you do not end up offending anyone," he said. "Swearing can sometimes also allow us to talk about taboo subjects, such as sex and religion, that we would otherwise be uncomfortable discussing."
Linguist Steven Pinker explains in his book "The Stuff of Thought," that humans swear in five basic ways: descriptively, when a curse word takes the place of a noun, verb, or adjective; idiomatically, when a curse word is used in an informal setting as part of a common phrase or expression; abusively, when you hurl an expletive at someone; emphatically, when you use bad language to underscore a point; and cathartically, when you stub your toe or get a parking ticket.
What constitutes as swearing varies a lot in different countries. For example, in the Philippines, there's a special anger vocabulary. Many words have alternatives that refer to the same thing, but it means you're cross when you say it.
A normal way of saying "Who ate my chicken?" is "Isáy nagkaón ku manók ko?" while the angry version is "Isáy naggutók ku maltók ko?"
In Brazil, the "OK" symbol we use in Europe and America is incredibly rude, and is the equivalent — or worse — to giving the middle finger. A fist slapped on top of one's other hand once or twice means "screw you."
Spanish people may say "¿Eres tonto o tiras piedras a los aviones?" Which means "Are you stupid or do you throw stones at planes?"
The "eres tonto o" prefix is a bit like saying "your mum" as an insult in English, according to language experts at Babbel.
In France, the f-word is their vulgarity of choice. French people use this word as often as English people, if not more. Meanwhile, in Mandarin, it is insulting to say "Cào nǐ zǔzōng shíbā dài’" or "F*** your ancestors to the eighteenth generation."
