No, really? Swearing can have positive effects?

According to the BBC, “It turns out that swearing helps mitigate pain. It is easier to keep an arm in ice-cold-water for longer if you are simultaneously effing and blinding [using very strong swear words].” 

Cursing out loud also appears to increase power and strength during physical exertion. It’s not clear why that is, but research shows that “Swearing produces a hypoalgesic effect [decreased sensitivity to pain], increasing pain tolerance and pain threshold, while reducing pain perception.”

The BBC article continues: “Swearing can boast other benefits. The claim has been made that swearing is bonding: a few blue words, uttered in a good-natured way, indicates and encourages intimacy” as well as affiliation and solidarity. This is known as “social swearing.” “And those who speak more than one language report that swearing in their first language is more satisfying, carrying, as it does, a bigger emotional punch.”

Swearing is defined as “the use of specific, negatively charged and often emotionally loaded terms, which are taboo in a given language/culture.  …  It’s the use of words that have the potential to be offensive, inappropriate, objectionable, or unacceptable in any given social context.” So it’s powerful.

It’s an emotional force. Motorist, for instance report “using swearing both to express verbal aggression, and as a form of catharsis that enabled them to cope with feelings of anger in stressful road situations,” as described in the paper, “The power of swearing: What we know and what we don’t.” One conclusion is that “swearing provides a uniquely potent means of both achieving catharsis and conveying the speaker’s emotional state to others.” Its purpose can be to express joy, excitement, and surprise, not just fear, anger, or annoyance.

It can be used for verbal emphasis. A message can be made more emphatic or engaging using curse words, and they increase attention and concentration. The taboo nature of profanity appears to increase its potential for achieving positive interpersonal effects. What’s more, since uttering profanities is not possible in most settings, the use of expletives is often used in informal and relaxed, permissive environments. In these contexts, cursing expressed in a light-hearted manner and with a sense of humor seems to increase strength and stamina and can increase self-confidence and risk-taking behavior.

So, it transpires that using offensive language or swearing can be very liberating. It can “help individuals process emotions, establish social bonds, and express their feelings in certain contexts,” as summarized by medical publisher Psychiatrist.com.

That means that Mark Twain wasn’t full of S#!T when he declared:

Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer.”