Taboo Language

The sincerity of swearing

What does it mean when somebody uses a shed-tonee of offensive, obscene and taboo language?Swearing in almost their every sentence, and blurting out some flipping frightful phrases. Somebody who you would certainly not invite round for Sunday dinner with your grandma! With their language it is quite possible that they sometimes remind you of that famous chef we see on TV...

Some argue that when a person swears it shows signs of a lack of vocabulary, the person is lacking of another way to express themselves - or they lack intelligence entirely. If this is the case, then i'm positive that means a lot of us are lacking intelligence!

However, a lot of scientists have argued against this idea (and thankfully so!) Some scientists even argue that swearing could be a sign of intelligence. A study by psychologists from Marist college found links between how fluent a person is in the English Language and how fluent they are in swearing. So, swearing can have its benefits in maximizing the effects of spoken language. Swearing allows somebody to be more honest and fully articulate their point, it is especially useful when somebody is angry as it allows you to fully express your anger without turning the argument physical. In fact, there is a lot of evidence to argue that swearing could actually be good for you - its believed swearing increases circulation and releases endorphins, making you feel happier.

As well as the effects that swearing can have mentally, it can also physically effect your body. muscle strength and stamina can be boosted by swearing, and research suggests this can give you a boost of strength, increase your pain tolerance and your performance during exercising, as found in these experiments carried out by psychologists on volunteers. Dr Richard Stephens from the University or Keele said that a possible reason for this is that it 'stimulates the body's sympathetic nervous system.' However, the reasons behind these findings are not entirely known. So fuck it! Swearing has it's advantages after all!

Overall, the benefits and drawbacks with swearing really depend on the context that its used in. Whether you find swearing to be vulgar or you love to use taboo language when expressing yourself, there are some circumstances that swearing just can not be used in. So while it is shown to be beneficial for you when exercising or increasing your pain tolerance, its best to leave the taboo language out in certain circumstances, like when you're around children.