Do you swear like a tile setter? Keep it up! The use of profanity has a number of desirable consequences. What are they? And how are swear words related to intelligence?
Although in everyday life we do, of course, exercise a certain self-censorship of our own expression (especially in the presence of children), according to some research it is actually better to give our emotions an outlet (i.e., it is beneficial for the one who needs to swear, but for children this practice does not have many benefits...). In any case, studies have already shown that uttering swear words relieves stress, dulls feelings of pain (yes, that's why it's so great to yell something really sharp when you stub your toe, for example), and even promotes peer friendships and, ultimately, openness and honesty. Meanwhile, the positive effects of properly letting off steam have been documented on both a mental and physical level.
According to 2018 research, for example, swearing during a workout leads to the "exerciser" having more strength afterwards. If we were to be specific, research participants who cursed loudly and held a vice had a stronger and longer grip. The same was then demonstrated in research on cycling - where those who swore while riding performed better.
Emotional valve also good for pain
It may seem ridiculous, but according to Timothy Jay, professor emeritus of psychology and world-renowned expert on swearing (yes, really, there are swearing experts in the world, dammit!), vulgarities are actually purposefully created by humans to give vent to their emotions. "There are simply times in life when it's more effective to tell someone to 'f*ck off...' rather than, say, punch them. Vulgar language is such an effective way to vent your emotions," he explained.
Of course, swearing is not only a vent for emotions, but also a vent for pain. Paradoxically, for quite a long time, scientists believed that swearing not only doesn't help, but rather has a "catastrophising" effect - that is, it encourages people to exaggerate the severity of pain. But the mistake was made. Eventually, science concluded that swearing actually increases pain tolerance. How was this thesis proven? A group of volunteers had to endure with their hands submerged in ice water - swearing was allowed in the first model situation, but not in the second. And it turned out that when the research participants were allowed to swear properly, they lasted longer in the ice water...
Being authentic
While some may worry about how those around them will perceive them if they let loose a profanity now and then, the truth is that, according to research from 2012, on the contrary, occasional swearing can increase the effectiveness and persuasiveness of arguments. And they even contribute to a person's authenticity. All of which is ultimately great, especially when you add in the fact that people who swear frequently also lie less and have a higher degree of social integrity.
So it's actually quite paradoxical that there are a number of prejudices attached to being more peppery - for example, one can encounter the belief that people who use vulgar language are not only rude but also less educated and lack vocabulary. "It's actually a form of linguistic snobbery and a cultural stereotype. The more I continued to study the language, the more I understood that none of this was true," Jay then summarizes.
Zdroj: Giphy
Jay, incidentally, has also focused on this issue in his research. In it, volunteers were asked to come up with as many words as they could within one minute that began with a particular letter - and then, in the same allotted time, they were also asked to come up with swear words that began with a particular letter. Based on this, the researchers found that those who scored higher on common words were also better linguistically equipped in terms of profanity. The result, then, is the finding that if one is able to express oneself fluently in one's mother tongue (the language studied was English), this also implies the ability to deal appropriately with swear words. It then follows that swearing is a sign of a higher intellect rather than a lower one and also evidence of a larger vocabulary.
"People who are good with language are also good at producing swear words. So the use of vulgarisms is not due to a lack of vocabulary, but rather to the fact that these people have a very rich vocabulary," Jay concluded, adding that not only does a vocabulary that includes vulgarisms correlate with classical intelligence, but also with social intelligence. "Having strategies to know where and when it's appropriate to swear is a social cognitive skill, like choosing the appropriate clothing for a particular occasion. It's a very sophisticated social tool," the scientist also added.
Simply put, while there are obviously times when some swearing is really inappropriate, at other moments it's not a bad idea to give your emotions an outlet. Especially when the practice can comprehensively empower and actually "humanize" us more. (And when we do get away with some profanity, we can at least hope that our surroundings will know that it's actually a sign of intelligence...)
