{"id":65338,"date":"2022-10-19T16:40:35","date_gmt":"2022-10-19T20:40:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=65338"},"modified":"2022-10-19T16:40:35","modified_gmt":"2022-10-19T20:40:35","slug":"the-power-of-swearing-how-obscene-words-influence-your-mind-body-and-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/the-power-of-swearing-how-obscene-words-influence-your-mind-body-and-relationships\/","title":{"rendered":"The power of swearing: how obscene words influence your mind, body and relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Swearing was long dismissed as a topic of serious research because it was assumed to be simply a sign of aggression, weak language proficiency or even low intelligence. We now have quite a lot of evidence that challenges this view, prompting us\u00a0to reconsider<\/a>\u00a0the nature \u2013 and power \u2013 of swearing.<\/p>\n

Whether we are fans of swearing or not, many of us are likely to resort to it now and again. To estimate the power of swearing, and work out where it comes from, we recently carried out a review of more than 100 academic papers on the subject from different disciplines. The study,\u00a0published in Lingua<\/a>, shows that the use of of taboo words can deeply affect the way we think, act and relate to each other.<\/p>\n

People often associate swearing with catharsis \u2013 the release of strong emotion. It is undeniably different from \u2013 and more powerful than \u2013 other forms of language use. Interestingly, for speakers of more than one language, the catharsis is\u00a0nearly always greater<\/a>\u00a0when swearing in one\u2019s first language than any languages learned subsequently.<\/p>\n

Swearing arouses the emotions. This can be measured in autonomic responses such as\u00a0increased sweating<\/a>\u00a0and sometimes increased heart rate. These changes suggest that swearing can trigger the \u201cfight or flight\u201d function.<\/p>\n

Neuroscientific research suggests that swearing might be located in different parts of the brain from other speech regions. Specifically, it might activate parts of the \u201climbic system<\/a>\u201d (including features known as the basal ganglia and the amygdala). These deep structures are involved in aspects of memory and\u00a0emotion processing<\/a>\u00a0which are instinctive and\u00a0difficult to inhibit<\/a>. This might explain why swearing\u00a0can remain intact<\/a>\u00a0in people who have suffered brain damage and struggle to speak as a result.<\/p>\n

Laboratory-based experiments also show cognitive effects. We know that swear words\u00a0command more attention<\/a>\u00a0and are better remembered than other words. But they also interfere with the cognitive processing of other words\/stimuli \u2013 so it seems swearing can sometimes get in the way of thinking, too.<\/p>\n

This may, however, be worth it \u2013 at least sometimes. In experiments requiring people to submerse a hand in icy water, swearing produces pain relief. In these studies, vocalising a swear word\u00a0leads to higher pain tolerance<\/a>\u00a0and higher pain threshold compared with neutral words. Other studies have found\u00a0increased physical strength<\/a>\u00a0in people after swearing.<\/p>\n

But swearing doesn\u2019t just influence our physical and mental selves \u2013 it also affects our relationships with others. Research in communication and linguistics has shown an array of\u00a0distinctive social purposes<\/a>\u00a0of swearing \u2013 from expressing aggression and causing offence to social bonding, humour and\u00a0story-telling<\/a>. Bad language can even help us manage our identities and\u00a0display intimacy and trust<\/a>\u00a0as well as boosting attention and dominance over other people.<\/p>\n

Digging deeper<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Despite having such a noticeable effect on our lives, we currently know very little about where swearing gets its power. Interestingly, when we hear a swear word in an unfamiliar language, it seems just like any other word and will not produce any of these outcomes \u2013 there\u2019s nothing particular about the sound of the word itself that is universally offensive.<\/p>\n

So, the power does not come from the words themselves. Equally, it is not inherent in the word meanings or sounds: neither euphemisms nor similar sounding words have such a profound effect on us.<\/p>\n

One explanation is that \u201caversive conditioning\u201d \u2013 the use of punishment to prevent continued swearing \u2013 typically\u00a0occurs during childhood<\/a>. This may establish a visceral connection between language use and emotional response. While this hypothesis sounds correct, it is weakly evidenced by only a handful of studies that have investigated memories of childhood punishment for swearing. There are almost no empirical studies of links between such memories and adult responses to swearing.<\/p>\n

To get to the bottom of why swearing has such a profound effect on us, we need to investigate the nature of people\u2019s memories for swearing. What were their significant swearing incidents? Did swearing always bring about unpleasant consequences, such as punishment, or were there benefits too? What about people\u2019s ongoing experiences of swearing throughout the lifespan? After all, our research shows that swearing can sometimes help people bond with one another.<\/p>\n

We think it might be possible for swearing to show a similar memory pattern to that for music \u2013 we\u00a0remember and like the songs best<\/a>\u00a0that we listened to during adolescence. That\u2019s because, like music, swearing possibly takes on new meaning in adolescence. It becomes an important way to respond to the intense emotions we tend to have during this time, and an act that signals independence from parents and connection with friends. So, swear words and\u00a0songs<\/a>\u00a0used during this time may become forever linked with important and highly memorable experiences.<\/p>\n

Research also needs to examine whether there is a link between memories of swearing and the effects observed in experiments. This could show whether people with more positive memories respond differently to those with negative memories.<\/p>\n

A final point to consider is whether swearing will start to lose its power if it becomes more socially acceptable and thus loses its offensiveness. For now, however, it certainly remains a faux-pas.<\/p>\n

Author Bios:<\/strong> Karyn Stapleton is a Senior Lecturer in Interpersonal Communication at Ulster University, Catherine Loveday is a Neuropsychologist at the University of Westminster, Kristy Beers is a Professor at S\u00f6dert\u00f6rn University and Richard Stephens is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Keele University<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Swearing was long dismissed as a topic of serious research because it was assumed to be simply a sign of aggression, weak language proficiency or even low intelligence. We now have quite a lot of evidence that challenges this view, prompting us\u00a0to reconsider\u00a0the nature \u2013 and power \u2013 of swearing. Whether we are fans of […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[434118],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-65338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-social-change","tag-swearing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe power of swearing: how obscene words influence your mind, body and relationships - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/the-power-of-swearing-how-obscene-words-influence-your-mind-body-and-relationships\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The power of swearing: how obscene words influence your mind, body and relationships - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Swearing was long dismissed as a topic of serious research because it was assumed to be simply a sign of aggression, weak language proficiency or even low intelligence. 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