{"id":763,"date":"2025-04-16T11:29:14","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T11:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jnb.lu\/?p=763"},"modified":"2025-04-16T11:29:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T11:29:14","slug":"say-it-with-feeling-a-case-for-swearing-in-a-world-on-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jnb.lu\/?p=763","title":{"rendered":"Say It with Feeling: A Case for Swearing in a World on Fire"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most of us are seasoned social media users. And if you’re reading this, chances are you stumbled across it mid-scroll\u2014maybe while dodging emails or waiting for your coffee. These days, whenever I open an app, I seem to take a deep breath and mutter fuck<\/em>\u2014sometimes out loud, sometimes just in my head. If the first post doesn\u2019t do it, something in the next few scrolls probably will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once upon a time, social media was a welcome distraction. I would often hop on for a dose of fashion, dogs, art, travel, or someone\u2019s questionable lunch. I\u2019ve never made a habit of following political accounts or news pages, and yet somehow, it\u2019s all there now. Even the lightest feeds are peppered with heavy truths. You\u2019ll find a reel about global injustice sandwiched between someone\u2019s yoga pose and another\u2019s Aperol spritz. And yes, I\u2019m just as guilty\u2014sharing global grief between snapshots of sunsets and sweet moments with Birkin. No wonder doomscrolling feels like emotional whiplash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, I came across a reel by Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe (2024) that stopped me in my tracks. She explained that swearing\u2014those spontaneous fucks<\/em>, shits<\/em>, and ffs<\/em>\u2014can actually be good for us. Not when hurled at others, but when blurted out as a release. A moment of relief in an overstimulating world. That got me thinking: could my British-born potty mouth be doing more good than harm?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So\u2014is swearing vulgar, or is it secretly good for our wellbeing? And should we really give a fuck about how people react to how we react?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about the last time you stubbed your toe. Did you stop to consider the social ramifications of yelling at your coffee table? Probably not. Because in that moment, you weren\u2019t being offensive\u2014you were being human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world this chaotic, maybe swearing isn\u2019t about losing control. Maybe it\u2019s about holding on. It\u2019s expression. It\u2019s honesty. It\u2019s humour. Far from lazy or crude, swearing is a surprisingly powerful tool for coping, connecting, and staying emotionally afloat. And the best part? Science and history are on our side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swearing as Self-Soothing: What Science Says<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That toe-stubbing scenario? It turns out, you were doing something rather clever. According to a study by Stephens, Atkins, and Kingston (2009), participants who swore while submerging their hands in ice water could tolerate the pain for longer than those who used neutral words like \u201ctable.\u201d Why? Because swearing triggers our fight-or-flight response\u2014it floods us with a burst of adrenaline and dulls pain. It\u2019s like verbal paracetamol, just saltier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swearing also gets a bad rap for being aggressive, but Jay and Janschewitz (2008) found that most everyday swearing isn\u2019t hostile\u2014it\u2019s emotional. People swear to express frustration, pain, surprise, or even delight. A whispered fuck<\/em> after a long day isn\u2019t a threat\u2014it\u2019s therapy. Swearing, then, is less about bad manners and more about managing life\u2019s little meltdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Long Tradition of Colourful Language<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swearing might feel modern\u2014edgy, rebellious, a bit rogue\u2014but we\u2019ve been dressing our language in sass for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take Chaucer. Back in the 14th century, he was slipping bawdy jokes into The Canterbury Tales<\/em>. In The Miller\u2019s Tale<\/em>, he writes, \u201cAnd prively he caught her by the queynte\u201d<\/em>\u2014Middle English for, well, something we won\u2019t spell out here. Let\u2019s just say it wasn\u2019t innocent. Chaucer made crudeness poetic. (Chaucer, 2003)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, of course, there\u2019s Shakespeare\u2014the master of the veiled insult. From Henry V\u2019s<\/em> zinger, \u201cThine face is not worth sunburning\u201d<\/em> (Shakespeare, 2005), to the deadpan drama of \u201cThey have made worms’ meat of me\u201d<\/em> (Romeo and Juliet<\/em>) and \u201cI do desire we may be better strangers\u201d<\/em> (As You Like It<\/em>), Shakespeare knew how to blend wit, rhythm, and just the right amount of verbal spice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So really, from Chaucer\u2019s cheek to TikTok tantrums, the intention behind our words hasn\u2019t changed\u2014we\u2019re still using language to say what needs saying. Whether it’s a muttered fuck<\/em> or a Shakespearean burn, the goal is the same: emotional release, comic timing, human connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swearing as Social Glue<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s move from the poetic to the personal. Swearing isn\u2019t just cathartic\u2014it\u2019s social. A bonding tool. A vibe-check in verbal form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all have different boundaries around when and where we swear. Personally, I\u2019m not shy about a well-timed bullocks<\/em>\u2014but I\u2019m selective. I wouldn\u2019t drop one in a boardroom, but in a side-office debrief with a close colleague. 100%. With friends? Definitely. Family? Yes\u2014but never, ever in front of my grandma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the research agrees. Feldman, Lian, Kosinski, and Stillwell (2017) found that people who swear more often tend to be more honest. Swearing, in this context, signals authenticity\u2014you’re saying what you mean without the fluff. So, if someone curses around you, it might actually mean they trust you enough to speak plainly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jay (2009) goes one step further, arguing that taboo words serve emotional and social functions: we use them to emphasise, connect, joke, and make our messages land harder. It\u2019s the difference between \u201cOh no\u201d and \u201cOh shit.\u201d One is polite. The other feels real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lights, Camera, Cussing: Swearing in Media<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Chaucer and Shakespeare were the original wordsmiths of sass, today\u2019s torchbearers hold scripts and drop f-bombs in 4K. From Absolutely Fabulous<\/em> to Archer<\/em>, Schitt\u2019s Creek<\/em> to The Real Housewives<\/em>, profanity is part of the dialogue\u2014and not just for shock value. Swearing has become shorthand for emotion, conflict, and character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jay and Janschewitz (2008) noted that swearing in media plays a role in how we learn to express ourselves. Watching characters use profanity to navigate chaos, anger, or humour normalises swearing as a tool for managing emotion. It becomes something we absorb and reflect\u2014often without realising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then came social media, and we weren\u2019t just watching people swear\u2014we were the ones swearing. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter transformed language into a fast, fluid, and highly expressive playground. As Maity, Sahni, and Mukherjee (2018) found, social media encourages linguistic innovation, including the use of profanity, because it\u2019s casual, emotional, and always on display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this a learned behaviour through cultural transmission? Absolutely. But it\u2019s also a feedback loop: media reflects us, we reflect it back, and round it goes. In a world where everything is louder, faster, and more fraught, swearing has found a permanent place in our emotional toolkit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, where does that leave us? I would say somewhere between a poetic rebellion and primal relief. Swearing, it turns out, isn\u2019t just shouting into the void\u2014it\u2019s one of the most human ways we manage life. It helps us cope with pain (Stephens et al., 2009), express emotion (Jay & Janschewitz, 2008), build bonds (Feldman et al., 2017), and speak with sincerity (Jay, 2009).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From medieval poetry to memes, Netflix to heartfelt rants, the story is the same: swearing, in context, is more than acceptable\u2014it\u2019s expressive, effective, and deeply human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t need to swear constantly. But we also don\u2019t need to feel guilty when we do. Because sometimes, when words fail and feelings rise, the most honest thing we can say is exactly what we feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, here\u2019s to the well-timed fuck<\/em>, the unexpected shit<\/em>, and the occasional bollocks<\/em>\u2014our small, sweary lifelines in a world that rarely makes sense. Long may they fly when needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chaucer, G. (2003). The Canterbury Tales<\/em> (N. Coghill, Trans.). Penguin Classics. (Original work published c. 1400)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feldman, G., Lian, H., Kosinski, M., & Stillwell, D. (2017). Frankly, we do give a damn: The relationship between profanity and honesty. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 8<\/em>(7), 816\u2013826. Click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jay, T. (2009). The utility and ubiquity of taboo words. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4<\/em>(2), 153\u2013161. Click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jay, T., & Janschewitz, K. (2008). The pragmatics of swearing. Journal of Politeness Research, 4<\/em>(2), 267\u2013288. Click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maity, S. K., Sahni, A., & Mukherjee, A. (2018). Quantifying controversy on social media. ACM Transactions on the Web (TWEB), 12<\/em>(3), 1\u201327. Click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shakespeare, W. (2005). Henry V<\/em>, Romeo and Juliet<\/em>, & As You Like It<\/em>. In S. Greenblatt (Ed.), The Norton Shakespeare<\/em> (2nd ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stephens, R., Atkins, J., & Kingston, A. (2009). Swearing as a response to pain. NeuroReport, 20<\/em>(12), 1056\u20131060. Click here<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hanley-Dafoe, R. [@drrobynehd]. (2024, April). Fuck is actually good for you<\/em> [Video]. Instagram. Click here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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