Why do we swear at science? Obscene language: who swears

Hi all! Today we are exploring the question of why a person swears, what it gives him and what it deprives him of. And, of course, we will consider methods with which you can, if not completely get rid of the use of obscene words, then at least significantly reduce their number. So, are you ready?

The advantages of "checkmate"

• Sometimes there are situations when it is simply impossible to do without a strong word. With its help, it is easier to speak out and express the whole range of emotions experienced. But only on the condition that such situations are rare.
• Relieving tension. No matter what beautiful epithets a person chooses to address the offender in order to humiliate his dignity and express indignation, you must admit that this will not work as well as if he had not clearly, succinctly and succinctly formulated his attitude towards him with the help of abuse. Sometimes you can even experience relief and pleasure from a well-chosen word.
• There is a certain contingent of the population, with very limited abilities, who simply do not understand what is being said to them until they use a “special” abusive language.

British scientists have proven

An experiment was once conducted in Britain, during which it was found that a mat helps reduce pain. They took seventy students and divided them, as usual, into two groups. The subjects had to lower their hands very cold water and keep there as long as they can handle it.

In the first group, young people had to swear at the most difficult moments, when it became completely unbearable. In the second, repeat some phrase completely devoid of emotional load and meaning. And what do you think the results were? That's right, the foul-mouthed ones won, since on average they stayed in the icy water 45 seconds longer than their, so to speak, opponents.

In addition, it was found that the greatest analgesic effect was achieved by those who everyday life practically does not use strong words. If you remember, the right hemisphere of a person is responsible for emotions, but the left is for speech. So, at the moment of using curse words, the body releases endorphins, hormones of joy, which affect various centers brain They cause a feeling of euphoria, which helps reduce sensitivity, hence the pain-relieving effect.

Cons of "checkmate"

1. In psychology, it is believed that individuals who often resort to obscene language in conversation are not able to express their emotions in any other way. Emotional intellect, that is, the ability to track and show feelings is just as important to develop as.

2. It has been scientifically proven that a person's DNA can change depending on his speech using electromagnetic channels. But what can I say, even if thanks to thoughts a person can send certain impulses to the Universe, since they have energy, especially if they are strongly emotionally charged. You can read about this in detail in the article. This is the secret of healing for people who pray and believe in the power of prayer. And that’s why we shouldn’t use foul language, otherwise we risk acquiring illnesses and attracting failures and misfortunes.

3. In some countries, swearing is punishable by law, in particular in Russia as well. So you risk getting a fine if you use foul language in public place, and this will negatively affect both reputation and financial situation.

4. Unfortunately, frequent use of swear words is a sign of mental illness. Especially if it is inappropriate, simply offensive, and completely without respecting any boundaries. For example, with young children, or with higher authoritarian leadership.

How not to swear?

Awareness

It is necessary to realize that the use of obscene language has already passed permissible norm, and is a bad habit that you have little control over. Otherwise, how can you stop swearing if you think that everything is normal, and other people are just being picky? Changes happen when a person decides to make them himself. That is, not at someone’s request, but due to one’s own awareness that addiction causes a lot of harm.

Addiction prevents you from living a quality and full life, gradually but confidently moving forward and developing. So, if you think it’s time to stop, I hasten to congratulate you - you have practically defeated the “enemy”, there’s just a little bit left to do.

Attentiveness

Now you need to become as attentive as possible in order to track exactly at what moments you resort to foul language. If possible, limit situations when you cannot hold on; if this is not possible, then choose one of the relaxation techniques breathing techniques, and use it in the most dangerous and tense moments.

Trick

Think about whether there is a place for shame in your soul? If yes, then in front of whom is it most embarrassing to show oneself not with the best side? Who is this? Mom and dad, a woman you like, a child or just a neighbor? And it doesn’t matter, even if this person is no longer physically around, or if he has died, his image is stored in our hearts as long as he is important and valuable.

Now think, could you use strong words in his presence? If not, then every time the desire to scold arises, imagine that he is somewhere nearby and looking at you. Or stop yourself thinking about what he would say, be in this moment with you?

Shame in fact inhibits a person in his manifestations, preventing him from achieving what he wants, stopping the impulse, the energetic message. It can sometimes be used to your advantage if used carefully, only in cases where the setting turns out to be resourceful and not limiting.

Environment

Many people want to look worthy in the eyes of others, whom they want to emulate and be like. And this is especially wanted by those who strive for self-development. Tell me, would you be reading this article right now if you didn’t want to become a better person? I doubt. So, remember some of your close and distant acquaintances, are there those among them who abuse obscenities? If so, how did you feel when you were there? Did you have a feeling of respect for them? And the desire to communicate more often?

It's time to change your thinking

Anyone who constantly uses obscene language basically looks at the world pessimistically. Everything annoys him, it turns out not to be what he wants, those around him disappoint him, and in general, he doesn’t understand or know how to do something. Such a person simply loses the ability to notice the good, focusing only on the negative.

So take action and start taking active steps to improve your quality of life.

Affirmations

Affirmations will also help you stop swearing, that is, positive attitudes that can be used instead of swear words. It won't be easy at first, but over time you will get used to it. You will find out what it is and how to use it.

Punishment

Come up with a small punishment, for example, for each swear word you do push-ups. Of course, you won’t be able to start implementing it right away; the situation is not always conducive to acting as you want. But you can count every time you give in, and in the evening, when you get home, atone for your sins, so to speak.

By the way, this way you will get your figure in order, you will be in good shape and much happier. After all, during physical activity the body produces endorphins.

Reading

Read at every opportunity, find time, even if your schedule is overly busy. Your lexicon will increase, and then there will be no need to resort to curses to express your feelings. You will be able to do this in a more acceptable and pleasant language. It is recommended to focus on classic literature, then move on to what you like. About what other benefits books bring, you.

Conclusion

And that’s all for today, dear readers! If you don't immediately manage to speak beautifully literary language, do not despair. Foul language like the rest bad habits, is not formed in one day, which means you will have to put in a lot of effort and patience to overcome it. But you will feel how your life, thoughts and even relationships with others are changing, and this is definitely worth the struggle. So believe in yourself, and everything will work out for you!

The material was prepared by Alina Zhuravina.

Today is a simple article. I mean, not super deep, but easy to understand. So, suppose a psychotherapeutic group has gathered. Or a client came for personal (individual) therapy. And uses swear words ( obscene words): what is psychologically “behind them”? Is it a strength (saying what I think) or a weakness (uncultured, can’t help myself)?

What does mat mean? Is it just bad upbringing and wrong behavior?

“Checkmate”: what is the function of mate and reduced vocabulary?

If we take the simplest, very first meaning of swearing, then it is banal voltage relief. As a rule - redundant. Therefore, the psychotherapist, most likely (but depending on his personal preferences), will not be “disturbed” by swearing, especially if it is appropriate, but will interest him.

What's going on that you can't do without swearing?

Second point:

What happens that “excess pressure” is formed, which needs to be released from the bottle with “bubbles of selected swearing”? How was it formed?

Third point:

What is the reason for the use of swear words?

Total - where you could get very angry, very scared, in general, come to strong feelings, a person psychologically “bleeds off the pressure” through swearing.

“Freudian slip”

Another important nuance– how, what and when a mat is used.

Some overly well-mannered clients can barely squeeze out the “Russian analogue” of the article, and this is big victory both for him (her) and for the therapist. Indeed, there are situations in life when swearing properly is the most adequate, fastest-acting, intelligible means, and, moreover, ideally suited to the cultural environment!

Another, “strongly cultured” client who uses swear words every day may DO NOT swear- and this will also be a victory. Literally: a person relieved tension every time, not allowing it to accumulate (and at the same time, expressing a thought). Maintaining tension, withstanding the situation and forming your need, expressing a desire instead of a vague “article” for such a thing is a real victory over yourself and climbing the evolutionary step!

Are words important?

As a rule, “for” obscene expression stands for either a description of something related to sexual activity / belonging, or a direction (masculine strong “in” or feminine pleasure “on”). Words can actually be important, but they don't have to be. Plays more of a role:

• coloring of expressive words,
• general dynamics (he said and fell silent, as if pushing everyone away from his boundaries, “scaring”, or he said and “it burst through”, he found his true desire),
• whether the expression was an attempt to “reach out” to the interlocutor or simply a description of the situation.

In addition, very often swearing performs a descriptive function, replacing feelings: “...., what a sunset”, “..., what a lunar path”, “and she comes out - like this ...!”, “fuck him ..., ...!”

The common people often use swear words. This is quite common and does not cause rejection of the interlocutor. If a person grew up in this environment and got used to it, then swear words begin to fly from his lips from the time he begins to speak. Another question is what if a person grew up in an intelligent family, but then finds himself in conditions that are not particularly pleasant to him, where he experiences everyday stress. In this case, they swear more out of necessity than deliberately.

Why do people swear

For example, a person serves in the army, works in law enforcement, drives a heavy vehicle, that is, every day his work involves risk and people who do not always react adequately to circumstances. In this case, when stressful situations, in difficult living conditions he may be forced to start swearing. Then the habit is reinforced and those who swear no longer cause negativity. He himself becomes one of this team.

What are the reasons why people swear

Some believe that this is a reaction to fear, a desire to assert oneself in front of others. However, this is not always the case. Often, it’s rather an unusual environment, the inability to change something, speed up events, anger, that’s what moves a person. He is outraged and tries to speak out.

Some people believe that people who swear are people who have too little vocabulary. And again this is not true. Many famous people, including very educated ones, consider the way of expressing thoughts in this way to be normal. They even think it gives them some flair.

So, why is swearing heard more and more often:

• People try to assert themselves this way;
• Aggression increases, and swearing is an expression of aggression, but in a different form;
• A person finds himself in a situation that is unusual for him, tries to defend himself, find a way out of the situation;
• The mat helps to withstand pain, physical and mental suffering;
• It gives control and power, helps make jokes;
• Allows you to express yourself and even increase control, improve well-being;
• Some people think it’s cool to swear, mostly young people, of course.
• Checkmate is an opportunity to become oneself in a certain environment, to convey one’s thoughts that “do not get through” in other words.

These and other circumstances are increasingly introducing obscene words and expressions into life. They are already becoming part of the language, and are not even suppressed as cruelly as before. This does not mean that you need to swear, it just says that there is another way of expressing your feelings and emotions, a little different from ordinary cultural speech. It will most likely not be possible to eradicate swearing, but if it is not used in Everyday life, then no one in the family will swear.

Incredible facts

Of course, the habit of swearing is considered extremely indecent, however, studies have shown that it has quite significant advantages. Huffingtonpost talks about this.

Swear words can not only help a person find good physical fitness and become a little more resourceful, but they can also help positive impact on a person’s communication with others.

Want proof? Below we share 6 scientifically proven reasons why adding a few swear words to your vocabulary is not a bad idea at all.

Mat

1. Cursing makes communication more effective.

Research has demonstrated that curse words may well enhance the persuasiveness and effectiveness of your arguments. In addition, obscene language demonstrates your attitude towards a particular object or action, but without explicitly explaining it. And what is equally important, this happens without assault.

For example, the BBC notes that swear words are great way express disgust, pain, or anger without resorting to violence.

Obscene language

2. A person who swears is more honest than those around him

Not long ago, a study was conducted that showed that people who swear are less likely to cheat, and they are more straightforward in relation to others. Volunteers who took part in the study, who did not hesitate to use swear words in their speech, were created a so-called “lie scale” based on a question that determined the participant’s truthfulness.

As a result, a direct relationship was established - the more often a person swears, the more honestly he behaves in his interactions with other people.

3. A person who swears endures pain better and easier.

If, for example, you hit your little toe on the foot of the bed, you will feel much faster relief if you let off steam with swear words. A 2011 study found that swearing can increase your ability to cope with pain.

Scientists say the swearing is a kind of painkiller; it has a calming effect, working like morphine, the Times says.

Mat on mat

4. A person who swears is intellectually developed

Experts who study this issue say that this habit may have a direct connection with a person having more high level IQ.

5. A person who swears can improve his physical fitness faster

Foul language will help you when you decide to lift iron! More recently, in 2017, a study was conducted that showed that swear words can help a person improve their workout results.

Volunteers engaged in hand-to-hand combat and rode bicycles. One group was asked to repeat neutral words, the other was asked to swear. The result of the second group was surprising - productivity increased significantly. Wrote about this The New York Times.

The benefits of swearing

6. Swearing is calming

Experts say that if you sometimes feel like cursing, there is nothing wrong with that. Swearing has a positive effect on a person's overall sense of calm, and swearing can even improve blood circulation and increase endorphins.

Why do people swear? For what reason does foul language still not disappear and is not going to lose ground? What happens to a person when he swears obscenely? We'll figure out.

Did cavemen swear?

Scientists studying the development of language and the psychology of swearing claim that “obscene” words are present in any human language. Every language, dialect or dialect, dead or alive, used by millions or a few tribes, has its share of "forbidden" words.

Already in the first examples of human writing, dating back to about 3000 BC. BC, indecent descriptions of parts of the human body and their functions were discovered - and written monuments certainly serve as a reflection of oral tradition. Most psychologists and evolutionary linguists suggest that the emergence of swear words occurred simultaneously with the emergence of language as such, that is, at least about 100 thousand years BC.

Who swears the most?

According to statistics, teenagers and men swear more. And university rectors use foul language more often than librarians and kindergarten employees. The use of swear words is positively correlated with extraversion and emotional choleric temperament. Conversely, a negative relationship is observed with the level of compliance, religiosity and sexual arousal.

So why do we express ourselves?

Scientists have identified many functions of profanity. IN ancient Rus' For example, swearing performed a ritual function, being included in ritual texts. We all know swearing as an interjection, as an affective display of emotion, as an act of aggression, as a means of humiliation, as friendly banter and encouragement. Foul language can be a way of expressing rebellion or even a means of establishing contact between people.

What happens to the body during foul language

Some researchers consider swearing to be a symbol of connections between the rational areas of the brain and the parts responsible for emotions.
When a person utters curses, his pulse quickens, his breathing becomes more shallow - all the signs of psychological arousal are evident.

But just as swearing can be a stimulating factor, it often becomes an indicator of peace and harmony. There are studies showing that when we are in the company of close friends, the more relaxed we are, the more we swear.

There is a well-known curious case with the pillars of Russian literature - Leo Tolstoy and Maxim Gorky. When Gorky arrived in Yasnaya Polyana, Tolstoy used a lot of obscene expressions in his conversation with him. Gorky was upset by this: he decided that the genius was trying to “adapt” to his “proletarian” level, and did not understand: L. Tolstoy, on the contrary, wanted to show in this way that he accepted him “as one of his own.”

Which neurons are “responsible” for swearing?

We all know that human speech is not a completely controlled process, especially emotional speech.
In recent years, scientists have been exploring the neural mechanisms of foul language by studying the brains of patients with Tourette syndrome.
Tourette's syndrome is a rare neurological disorder of unknown origin, characterized by nervous tics, grimacing, and involuntary shouting of obscenities. Such painful, irresistible swearing was called “coprolalia” (from the Greek “kopros” - feces, dirt and “lalia” - speech).

Of course, coprolalia brings a lot of inconvenience to patients with Tourette's syndrome: a stream of abuse can cause discomfort to others, sometimes erupting from the lips of a child or teenager. In addition, curse words often turn out to be extremely incorrect, referring to the race, sexual orientation and appearance of others.

Scientists became interested in coprolalia in patients with Tourette's syndrome in the hope of finding out the mechanisms that motivate a person to use obscene language. It was found out which areas of the brain of patients with Tourette syndrome are activated during an attack of coprolalia.

It turned out that during such attacks several groups of neurons are activated at once: the basal ganglia - neurons responsible for coordinating parts of the body, and the so-called Broca's center - an area of ​​the cerebral cortex that ensures the understanding and organization of speech.

There was also evidence of excitation of neural circuits associated with the limbic system, known to be involved in emotion regulation. At the same time, and especially important, the “executive” areas of the brain were involved, where decisions are made whether to act or refrain from action.

These studies show us how complex and contradictory the mechanism for the emergence of obscene language can be. First, there is a strong emotional urge to say something rude, then the speech system is activated to come up with curse words, then the “control” center tries to restrain the speech act, and, sometimes, it succeeds. Thus, as we see, both highly developed areas of the brain and its archaic areas are involved in the process of swearing.

How obscene language increases the pain threshold

Many people know that swearing sometimes becomes in a good way dealing with stress through splashing out emotions, but there is also scientific evidence. According to research by British scientists, swearing can increase pain tolerance in foul-mouthed subjects.

A group of students took part in an experiment on the effect of swearing on the pain threshold: young people placed their hands in ice water and tried to keep them under water for as long as possible.

In the control group, subjects did not have the opportunity to swear when uttering neutral phrases. In the experimental group, even those who do not use obscene language in everyday life had to swear. The study's results are impressive: swearing increased heart rate, decreased pain perception, and helped students endure pain longer by 75%. This change in the pain threshold is most likely due to an increase in the foul-mouthed adrenaline level.

Interestingly, the positive effect of swearing (pain reduction) was greater in women than in men, even if there was a tendency to dramatize the pain. In men, on the contrary, the tendency to dramatize reduced the positive effect of swearing. This is especially interesting in light of other studies showing, as we remember, that men are more likely to use offensive language, while women are statistically more likely to exaggerate and dramatize their physical suffering.

Internet. Anonymous

The phenomenon of obscene language on the Internet deserves special attention: in social networks and on the forums. We've all encountered mass profanity in certain online communities. First of all, this is due to the possibility of anonymity of comments, which has remained since the advent of the Internet. characteristic feature and an integral basis of the World Wide Web.

On the other hand, on the Internet we find ourselves in a situation where we can become an outside observer of certain communities, with our own, sometimes unknown to us, rules and norms of speech, and what we perceive as rudeness may well be something neutral for this or that forum.

Foul language in many of these communities has
multidirectional background: since anonymity is the reason for the initial equality of Internet users, then in these conditions of equality, swearing turns out to be a tool of manifestation of aggression, force, power and humiliation. And, ultimately, along with masterful command of words, a way of building a kind of hierarchy among anonymous Internet users.

Also, obscene expressions are often used to create a humorous effect, sometimes benevolent, but often aggressive, which also unites the community by humiliating the objects of jokes, and in some cases, foul language can serve as one of the ways to build a specific group identity.