The Link Between Swearing and Intelligence
Research suggests that women who swear may have a higher IQ. A study at the University of Rochester found that people who swear tend to have higher intelligence. This may be surprising, but it’s also been linked to other positive qualities like strength, honesty, and language fluency.
Swearing Makes You Stronger
Another study found that swearing can make you stronger when in a stressful situation. Participants who swore during exercise showed increased power and hand grip strength. This suggests that swearing can stimulate the body’s sympathetic nervous system, making individuals more able to tolerate pain and perform better under stress.
Emotional Stimulation Induces Swearing
It was also found that emotional activation can induce swearing. People were more likely to swear when in a high-emotion situation compared to a low-emotion one. This indicates that swearing is driven by emotion, and that stressful situations encourage swearing in individuals.
Using Swear Words is a Sign of Language Fluency
Contrary to popular belief, using swear words is actually a sign of language fluency. A study recorded how many swear words a participant could think of in 1 minute and found links between fluency in the English language and fluency in swearing. This challenges the notion that swearing is associated with low intelligence and incompetence.
Do All People Swear?
While not everyone chooses to swear, competent English speakers learn how to swear at some point in their lives. Swearing generally occurs at a rate of about 0.5 percent of one’s daily word output and is influenced by context, personality, religion, and psychological factors. Swearing crosses socioeconomic statuses and age ranges, although it is more common among adolescents and men.
Has Our Frequency of Swearing Increased?
Our exposure to swearing has increased due to media, but there is no data to suggest that the frequency of swearing has increased. The most popular English swear words have remained consistent over the past 30 years, indicating that the use of taboo words has not significantly changed over time.
So, the next time you swear, remember that it may just mean you’re a smart, strong, emotionally driven individual with a fantastic grasp of language.
