“A voice can repel, infuriate or actually make a listener ill.” – Johnny Olson
Swearing is a verbal expression with a vulgar meaning and a strong negative emotional charge. The emotional impact of swearing can be amplified if the pitch of the voice with which it is spoken is aggressive and can be diminished if the pitch of the voice is neutral.
Linguistic studies have shown that although swear words are present in all 6,000 languages spoken in the world, their precise origin is not yet known. Some linguists believe that modern languages developed from primitive linguistic utterances that were comparable to swearing [1], while others believe that swearing came from ancient practices of magic that used them for curses [2] [3] [4].
The composition of swearing changed over time, with each language retaining the vulgar words1 with a strong emotional charge. The best-known example of this is the word f**k,2 which continues to be a modern English swear word.
Swearing was first studied in academia only in the 20th century, due to taboo conceptions of the practice. Since the 1980s, more and more scientific studies have emerged about swearing. Indeed, linguists have inventoried and classified them into different categories,3 psychologists have analysed the emotional effects they produce, neuroscientists have investigated the neural processes in the brains of swearers, and sociologists have looked at their impact on different social groups and categories, etcetera. And so cursing, the use of which was punished in the 15th century by cutting out the tongue or even by death [5], has now become the favourite subject of study for many researchers. Neuroscientists have found, for example, that certain conditions of the prefrontal cortex provoke coprolalia, a condition that causes patients to swear frequently and uncontrollably [6]. Neurological studies have also shown that swear words are managed by the brain in a different way than other verbal expressions due to their negative emotional charge. Swearing is controlled by the right cerebral hemisphere, which manages the emotional content of speech, even though the left cerebral hemisphere is responsible for controlling speech.
In psychology, swearing is controversial because of the negative emotional effects it produces in those who say these ‘bad’ words. Some psychologists believe that swearing is part of the verbal defence reflexes and even recommend using them because they help with emotional discharge. These psychologists have shown in studies they have conducted that swearing “stimulates our blood activity, increases the secretion of endorphins (good mood hormones), induces a state of self-control, helps us make friends, etcetera” [7] [8]. Other psychologists believe that frequent swearing affects the long-term emotional balance of both those who say them and those who hear them [9] [10]. These psychologists have shown in studies of children who are repeatedly exposed to swearing, that they then suffer for the rest of their lives from severe emotional imbalances [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] and that adults who swear frequently have a reduced capacity for emotional control and increased levels of irritability [16] [17] [18] [19]. A study from 2023 compared irritability levels between two adult groups: the first consisted of frequent swearers, and the second of those who refrained from using vulgar words [20]. Volunteers in the first group defended themselves against verbal aggression with swear words, whereas those in the second group defended themselves using non-vulgar words. All volunteers were notified from the selection stage about the topic of the study and all its stages. They were warned that the study could generate negative emotions by exposing them to swearing. The volunteers were also notified that they could withdraw from the study at the beginning of or at any time throughout the study, whenever they felt affected by negative emotions. All subjects who enrolled as volunteers for this study were adults and participated in all of its stages. Volunteers in the first group were chosen from people who frequently swore and those in the second group were selected from people who did not routinely use vulgar words.
The study was conducted in the following way:
- At the beginning of the study, the volunteers were interviewed one at a time by a team of psychologists to form their psychological profile and assess their degree of irritability.
- The volunteers then walked into a room where a sketch was being performed by two professional actors. When the volunteer opened the door, it caused a vase to break. The two actors scolded and cursed the volunteer. In their own specific way, each volunteer defended themselves against the verbal aggressions of the actors – some responded with swear words, others defended themselves by yelling without using swear words. The quarrels between the actors and each volunteer were audio recorded and then analysed by psychologists to study the fluctuation of negative emotions impregnated in the subjects’ voices.
- At the end of the study, the volunteers were interviewed again by the team of specialists and their degree of irritability was assessed.
The results of this study showed that the negative emotional states of the volunteers in the two groups had similar developments, yet the evolution of the degree of irritability was different. At the end of the study, the volunteers who used swear words had almost double the irritability of those who defended themselves by yelling.
The study showed that yelling is more effective than swearing, which actually increases our irritability, weakens our emotional control and predisposes us to feeling pessimistic. It is therefore good to avoid swearing and to release stress by yelling, which is better for our mental health.
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Acknowledgment: This text was taken from the book The Power of Voice, with the consent of the author Eduard Dan Franti. The Power of Voice can be obtained from Memobooks, Apple Books, or Amazon.
Footnotes:
- Linguists have discovered that the famous English curse word c**t originated in the name of Gropec**t Lane Street in 12th century London, which was then famous for prostitution [4] [5] [21].
- This curse was found by historian Paul Booth in official documents from 1278 to 1310 and in poems from 1503 [21] [22].
- Some linguists have classified swear words into four categories: 1) swear words related to sex; 2) swear words related to excrement; 3) swear words related to religion; 4) swear words related to mental illness [23].
Bibliography
[1] A. Montagu, “On the physiology and psychology of swearing,” *Psychiatry*, vol. 5, pp. 189–201, 1942.
[2] F. Grose, *Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue*, 1971.
[3] M. Mohr, *Holy Sh*T: A Brief History of Swearing*, 2013.
[4] A. J. Vingerhoets, L. M. Bylsma and C. d. Vlam, “Swearing: A Biopsychosocial Perspective,” *Psychological Topics*, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 287–304, 2013.
[5] S. Pinker, *The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature*, New York: Penguin, 2007.
[6] J. C. D. Van Lancker, “Expletives: Neurolinguistic and Neurobehavioral Perspectives on Swearing,” *Brain Research Reviews*, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 83–104, 1999.
[7] R. Pundir, “People Who Swear May Make Better Friends,” *Science Says*.
[8] H. Y. Neel Burton M.D., “The 7 Best Reasons for Swearing,” *Psychology Today*, 2012.
[9] T. Jay, “Do offensive words harm people?,” *Psychology, Public Policy and Law*, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 81–101, 2009.
[10] Y. Morimoto and A. Sharma, “Long term outcomes of verbal aggression: The role of protective factors,” *Journal of Emotional Abuse*, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 71–99, 2004.
[11–15] Various authors, studies on childhood exposure to swearing and emotional trauma (see full article for full citations).
[16] N. B. Washmuth and R. Stephens, “Frankly, we do give a damn: improving patient outcomes with swearing,” *Arch Physiother*, vol. 12, no. 6, 2022.
[17] K. C. Lafreniere, S. G. Moore and R. J. Fisher, “The Power of Profanity,” *Journal of Marketing Research*, vol. 59, no. 5, pp. 908–925, 2022.
[18] T. Jay, “Do offensive words harm people?” *Psychology, Public Policy, and Law*, vol. 15, pp. 81–101, 2009.
[19] A. Janov, *The Primal Scream*, Abacus Publishing House, 1991.
[20] C. A. Bratan et al., “Using Swear Words Increases the Irritability – a Study Using AI Algorithms,” *ROMJIST*, vol. 9, no. 3–4, pp. 365–374, 2023.
[21] P. Booth, “An Early Fourteenth-Century Use of the F-word in Cheshire,” *Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire*, vol. 164, pp. 99–102, 2015.
[22] R. Stephens, “The science of swearing,” *Independent*, 2015.
[23] C. Sarnika, “Types and Functions of Swear Words in HIMYM Season One,” *Journal of Language and Literature*, vol. 6, no. 2, 2018.
