Worried About Swearing Too Much? Science Says You Shouldn't Be

In 2009, researchers set out to study whether swearing alters someone’s experience of pain.

Scientists found that swearing actually increases an individual’s pain tolerance. The team tasked 67 undergraduate volunteers with plunging their hands in ice-cold water for as long as they could handle it while repeating a swear word of their choice. Then, they did the experiment again — but this time, the students said a neutral, non-taboo word.

The research team found that volunteers were able to keep their hands submerged in the frigid water for longer while repeating the swear word.

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In addition, because swearing was accompanied by an increase in heart rate, the scientists think that cursing may trigger an individual’s “fight-or-flight” response. They suggest that swearing triggers negative emotions that serve as an alarm bell, alerting someone to danger and sparking an innate defense mechanism.

Beyond swearing's impacts on the body and mind, research has shown that cursing can influence our social dynamics, too.

A 2012 study found that swearing can enhance the effectiveness and persuasiveness of an argument. In addition, cursing can also convey an emotional reaction to something without us resorting to physical violence.

And while many might consider swearing less than savory, a recent study revealed that people who curse often actually lie less and have a higher degree of integrity.

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After the scientists surveyed how often participants use profanity, they conducted a series of tests to determine how truthful an individual was.

The research team found a positive link between profanity and honesty. Cursing was associated with less deception on an interpersonal level, and higher levels of integrity overall.

For many, the use of obscene language isn’t just a sign of boorish behavior — a common assumption is that people swear because they lack the vocabulary, education or even intelligence to express themselves in other ways.

In other words, when language fails, we curse.

“It’s a form of linguistic snobbery,” says Jay, referring to the presumed link between swearing and intelligence. “It’s a cultural stereotype. But the more I became sophisticated in language studies, the more I realized that every language scholar knows that’s not true.”