To swear, or not to swear?




To swear, or not to swear?
Is swearing a sign of limited vocabulary?

Picture the scene: you’re walking around, minding your own business, when suddenly you stub your toe. Before you know it, an expletive – dammit! – has slipped through your teeth.

Don’t bother denying it. We’ve all done it! But the question is: why?

For some reason, people seem to have got the idea into their head that swearing is a sign of low intelligence and limited vocabulary. I mean, you surely wouldn’t swear if you knew more sophisticated words, would you? Of course you would! And, believe it or not, the reason why is scientific.

Amazingly, studies have shown that uttering a curse word increases pain tolerance – thus explaining why you would swear if you stubbed your toe. In this study, people could keep their hands submerged in iced water for longer if they swore than if they didn’t. In a way, this means swearing acts like an anaesthetic – it’s another way for us to relieve ourselves of some pain. But here is what I don’t understand: if the fight or flight response is an accepted part of human nature, then why is swearing frowned upon? It’s just another way for our body to protect itself!

And that’s not all! In another study, swearing was proved to actually improve your strength – in an experiment, swearing improved grip strength by 2.1 kilograms! And not only that, but swearing also increased pedal power on a bike by 24 watts. If this is the case, then athletes could perform better if they have a good old curse beforehand! But if all this is true, shouldn’t we be encouraging swearing?

One reason it isn’t encouraged, and that I have to agree with, is that it can be greatly offensive if directly aimed at someone. People use swearing to be sexist and degrading, and I can say from experience that it’s not fun to be swore at. But the fact is, it is a different thing to be offensive than to curse when you’re in pain! Not all swearing needs to be frowned upon.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve met many adults who would hit the roof if they heard a teenager swear. A lot of adults seem to believe that teenagers aren’t getting a good education anymore, and that’s the reason for their explicit language. But I have to disagree! As we have already seen, swearing has become part of our human nature to protect ourselves and help us perform better, and this is seen in all ages (even parents!). Yet more studies have proven that swearing is actually a sign of greater intelligence, as it’s a language feature that an articulate speaker can use to communicate and convey emotion. And yet I would get in trouble if I swore in front of my parents!

Natural pain relief, improved strength, greater language skills – I think I’ve said it all! The people who say that taboo language is a sign of low intelligence couldn’t be more wrong. In actual fact, it means the opposite! Swearing shouldn’t be shamed any longer, and people need to hurry up and realise the truth: swearing is not a sign of limited vocabulary!







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