The Positive Use of Profanity

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4 years ago

November 18, 2020

Photo credit: abc.net.au

Swearing is regarded as lazy or bad language or an offensive lapse of formality. When we were young, our parents and elders always told us not to swear or say any profanity language. They said that it is a lack of respect for things that are supposed to be sacred, or to people older than us and disrespect to religious aspects.

Have you experienced being slapped by your parents when you said bad words back when you were younger? I never experienced though, but I do slap the mouth of my little siblings once I heard them saying any bad words and showing disrespect to the adults. And for those who have strict and religious parents, for sure you got belted round your ear when they hear you saying cursed words or name-calling. That is how parents discipline their kids in the past.

Swearing, cursing, and other bad expressions are called PROFANITY. It is a language that is often regarded by certain parts of a culture to be strongly disrespectful, cruel, or offensive. It can imply a degradation of someone or something, or be considered as an expression of a strong impression towards something.

Some words had significantly powerful than others, and that the mere transition in a vowel is sometimes enough to wholly change the expressive effect of a word.

But do you know that swearing can reduce the sensation of pain?

I was curious about the real explanation of why swearing can relieve pain and improves productivity. If you have read my previous article, I have mentioned there that swearing can diminish the sensation of pain. That is why I searched for this matter and made this article.

Research says that the hypoalgesic effect of swearing has shown that the use of profanity can help reduce the sensation of pain.

Photo credit: intermountainhealthcare.org

The effect has been illustrated as being a form of stress-reliever analgesia (or painkiller), with swearing because of a painful impulse being a kind of emotional response. However, it is not clear yet how swearing produces the physical effects that have been illustrated in some research. Swearing in reaction to pain may activate the amygdala (one of the four basal ganglia in each cerebral hemisphere of our brain) which can trigger the fight-or-flight response. This then increases adrenaline or our natural form of pain relief. [¹]

Richard Stephens, John Atkins, and Andrew Kingston, researchers from Keele University, published "Swearing as a Response to Pain" in NeuroReport. The book shows that people who swore could hold their hands in ice water for twice as long as usual compared to if they used neutral words.

They also noted less pain and that the effects are anything but maladaptive. Swearing really does enable you to endure the pain for longer than usual. Stephens advises people to swear if they hurt themselves.


Swearing can also improve productivity.

Another research shows that swearing can improve fitness and endurance. The study shows that people who swore against resistance while peddling on bikes had more strength than people who used normal words.

Photo credit: breakmuscle com

The effect of profanity starts in the brain. People who are saying curse words while working out stimulates the adrenaline level that improves the heart rate and breathing, and increasing the oxygen intake. Swearing also produces a stress response that activates the body’s defensive reflex, which not only improves athletic performance but can also help with an injury. [²]


Nowadays, swearing becomes an expression of many in expressing their strong feelings towards something or someone. I even know someone who always says a bad word in every sentence he speaks. I wonder if he has a high tolerance for pain since saying bad words has become a part of his daily dialogue already. In my whole life, I swear, I only said a bad word once and even regretted after saying that word. It seems that my mouth don't have the courage to speak curse words in person. And every time I am in pain and I can't lash out my feeling, I just curse the pain in my mind. However, I can swear in the digital space as it is easier to type than to spill out. But I don't intentionally curse someone or something, it's just an expression adopted from this modern world.

This article doesn't encourage you to swear 😅 Always be responsible for the words you want to speak out. Remember that words that have been spoken cannot be undone. And the meaning of the curse words you have said varies on how you have delivered it.

Swear your pain if you are broken-hearted 🤣🤣

Swear your pain when you hurt yourself, but don't make it your everyday expression.

Written by: @Jane

Sources:

[¹] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypoalgesic_effect_of_swearing

[²] https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2019/10/30/researchers-using-curse-words-can-help-combat-pain-improve-your-workouts/

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4 years ago

Comments

Our people say "ugly words" in almost all situations, when they are angry, happy, excited, amazed, scared.

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4 years ago

This is interesting nice post I have mentioned there that swearing can diminish the sensation of pain. Keep it up

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4 years ago

oo nga 'no. napansin q lng, mapapa ay s***t ang isang tao pagka nahurt lalo na physically and it comes unexpectedly.. pero sa ngayon nagiging expression n lng. I slap tlga my kids when they say bad words for the 2nd time

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4 years ago

Oo..haha..at sabi sa study na eendure yung sakit longer kpg mapapamura 😅 Ganun dn ko sa younger siblings ko

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4 years ago

Just let ur yes be yes and ur no be no

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4 years ago

Swearing is sin against God

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4 years ago

The best health benefits of swearing include increased circulation, elevated endorphin, and serotonin levels, and an overall sense of calm, control, and well-being.

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4 years ago

Nice job

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4 years ago

While for us, it's basically just common words now thst it basically has no more gravity because it's spoken so casually. I've also read thst paper before and it's fascinating but it doesn't have to be curse eords, apparently. Any words that's easy to say works

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4 years ago

Yeah any words that is not usual 😅.. Swearing become a part of this world already.. Like you can hear it everywhere you go..

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4 years ago

Yeah because they say it's a freedom of expression 😂😂 so i wonder if people are in way too much pain on a daily basis or what

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4 years ago

Lol.. Too much freedom of expression.. Especially western people like saying that.. Even people in our country... I also wonder if they have high tolerance in pain since they like saying curse words 🤣

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4 years ago

Lol the profanities here come off different 😂😂😂😂 iba talaga lutong pag nagmura dito and i found that so amusing at times but i do stick to english profanities

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4 years ago

I rather say english that tagalog. Kasi jan parang mumurahin ang ina... Which i don't like to do..

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4 years ago

Ahh yeah, that's why the curse words here really hit differently unlike the english ones which you can direct to someone without having to drag moms into it 😂😂😂

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4 years ago

Profanity sounds like a good thing when it is really not lol Words really can kill better than actions. Hindi na mababalik kahit akong sorry. Nakakatakot kapag nadala ka ng galit, mahirap na ifilter yung mga lumalabas sa bibig.

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4 years ago

Kya nga think before you speak.. Kaht nga yung way ng pagsasalita, minsan iba meaning sa pandinig ng ibang to..

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4 years ago

Ehhh? I can't find the connection of swearing to pain killer and endurance . Pero, pag nagsswear talaga lalo na pag galit, lumalamig ang ulo ko. You know, nailabas ko ng lahat mg emosyon ko so okay na ulit ako. Pero sa endurance, ewasn lang hingalin kasi ako ee hihi.

Pwro sa totoo lang, di naman talaga ako palamura ee, nong hihj school ako. Pero nong mag college ako, dun na nagsimula till now, nagmumura din kasi sina mader kaya 😅, kahit sa harap nila nakakapag mura ako, pero hindi naman sa kanila expressiin lang ba, yknow .

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4 years ago

Lol.. Pro try mo ilublub mga kamay mo sa icewater..then magswear k kung effective 😅 Hndi rn ako palamura.. Pro minsan nagiging expression na ang s**t ng ibang tao . madali sabihin sa virtual way pro hndi sa personal...sa iba nga lng madali lng yun.

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4 years ago

Hahaha, try no nga yan bukas 😂. Oo nga gamitin talaga yan ee. Prro effective na eefective sya sya pag galit ako. Saka nasanay na din ako sa gsnon ee.

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4 years ago

Great article

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4 years ago

Saying words in a higher tone works for me. But they are not rude. It doesn't work for me to say bad words because it seems hypocritical to me. Scold for not saying them and then I do them. So I choose to say words in a louder tone than normal and it has worked well for me.

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4 years ago

Sometimes, saying words in a louder way may alter its meaning.. For you, it might be normal. But for others, it can be harsh..

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4 years ago

Being cursed at a customer in a call center drives us more to speak English fluently. Somehow, that's the positive effect of it. It motivates us to defend ourselves that it is not the agents' fault. But still, we represent the company so we're the front-liners 😆 we absorb all the curses. But that was an experience before. Hahaha

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4 years ago

Many people like swearing while they can't fulfill it

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4 years ago

Thank you for this one again, but for now, I count open my mouth to swear, for it will be a great course that God can break

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4 years ago

Yeah I know you won't gonna do that 😊

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4 years ago

Actually, in my community, people do use abusive or curse words very frequent and having known that I kind of select who I interact with , to me those swear words sound offensive to me always. Me as a person , I don't get angry easily and if I do, for me to utter swearing I use it ironically, so I won't say it directly cos I don't mean to say it. What you outlined In your article seems to be true to me cos many times I do noticed that people utter swearing word whenever they are hurt , they do say for short periods, I think it's working.

Now this article brings it to my notice and I will experiment it.

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4 years ago

لقد نشأت في بيئة لا أسمع فيها الشتائم والألفاظ النابية. كان والداي صارمين للغاية وأصبح والدي مؤخرًا سكيرًا لكنني لم أسمعهم يقسمون طوال حياتي. لذلك نشأت وأنا حساسة لمثل هذه الكلمات. عندما كنت في الكلية ، كان أحد زملائي في الصف يلعنني مباشرة بسبب شيء لم أفعله ولم أتحدث معه أبدًا بعد تلك الحادثة لأنني أصيبت. ولكن عندما عملت في BPO ، سمعت الكثير من CS يشتم العملاء ويلعنهم أثناء كتم الصوت لذلك اعتدت على ذلك. لكنني بكيت بشدة في المرة الأولى التي يلعنني فيها أحد العملاء حتى أنني أخبرت مدير فريقي أنني سأستقيل في ذلك اليوم

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4 years ago

You have formation are so informative I really appreciate reading this article talking about swearing itself is an important topic to discuss thanks a lot I've learnt a lot keep it up

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4 years ago

Swearing and cursing are often used interchangeably, but there's a subtle difference in their origins. However i love this type of article ❤️❤️

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4 years ago

Really? Thanks for reading it 😊

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4 years ago

I sometimes do but I hate hearing others saying profanity many times. It annoys me easily. haha. especially when I was a CS representative.

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4 years ago

Lol.. Prone na sa profanity yung mga CS.. Nkakastress tlga mga customers na ganyan . samin nmn my tao na lahat nlng ng sasabihin my bad word sa unahan.. Prang expression na. Yun dn ayoko marinig. Lali na ung sa dialect natin na t*ng ina.. Minumura lng nla mga nanay nla..

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4 years ago

totoo. ginawa na na nilang part ng pananalita nila. American lagi ganun.haha

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4 years ago

Oo.. Sa atin yun nmn may Tang juice n gawa ni Ina. Lol

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4 years ago

haha. Sa Social media din dami kaya mga bata yun na lang din bukambibig

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4 years ago

Oo lakas makamura kabataan ngayon

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4 years ago

unlike sa generation natin ne. minsan ka lang marining grabe na galit ng mga matatanda.haha

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4 years ago

Panu pa kya sa future 😅 ano na kya profanity nun

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4 years ago

Maniniwala ka ba na sa buong buhay ko, isang beses pa lang akong nakapagmura ng malakas? At pinagsisihan ko yun. After nun never na. Ayoko nga nakakarinig ng mga mura na yan eh.

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4 years ago

Same here.. Ako nmn ay nadala lng sa expression ng mga kakilala ko.. Curuios ako anong feeling ng magmura at parang ang dali dali lng nla masabi yun.. Nung ginawa ko yun sinampal ko tlga bibig ko 🤣🤣 at pinagsisihan. Never na ginawa ulit

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4 years ago

Pag nagmura kasi kami palo ang abot namin kay papa. Kaya ayun kinalakihan ko na ang hindi pagmumura. Bawal na bawal. Kaya sa mga pamangkin ko, talagang pinapagalitan ko din sila kapag narinig ko na nagmumura, minsan pa talaga paggrabe pinapalo ko din sila. 😂

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4 years ago

Ako nmn ay ate.. Kya ako taga palo sa knla 🤣🤣

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4 years ago

I used swearing when I do lifting but that's only on my mind HAHA. I don't want to shout it

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4 years ago

Are you a gym instructor ? So is it working if you swear? 😅

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4 years ago

No, Just a Fitness enthusiast, sometimes but I only do whisper so nobody can hear me haha

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4 years ago

Haha..it's embarrassing if we say it loud 😅

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4 years ago

Yes. Haha that's why I don't spit it out loudly

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4 years ago

"swearing becomes an expression of many in expressing their strong feelings towards something or someone" that lines are amazing

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4 years ago

It could be better if you elaborate it more 😅

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4 years ago

Does anyone think that the person who swear all the time are lazy and uneducated? Yeah, I think it's fairly knowledge mainly politician, businessman, lawyers and so on use this word all the f..king time.

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4 years ago

Americans use it most of the time 🤣 for rich people, they thought they are the superior of all, so it's easy for them to swear words..

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4 years ago

I'm just know abou Profanity. I have not so much Knowledge about it. By the way thank you I'm glad to learn from you.

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4 years ago

Some people just swear because it's part of their lives and they cannot live without it 😂

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4 years ago

True.. its just so easy for them to swear

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4 years ago

I think it's their personality

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4 years ago

For some people, it is just an expression but we must minimize it especially if you are surrounded by children

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4 years ago

I grew up in an environment where I don't hear swearing and profanity. My parents were very strict and my dad recently became a drunkard but I never heard them swear my whole life. So I grew up being sensitive to such words. When I was in college, a classmate directly cussed at me because of something I didn't do and I never spoke to him after that incident because I was hurt. But when I worked in the BPO, I hear a lot of CS cursing and cussing at the customers while on mute so I became used to it. But I really cried so hard the first time a customer cussed at me that I even told my team manager that I'm going to resign that day 😅

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4 years ago

I will cry i guess if someone will curse me.. So far, i never received curse words from others..but it is annoying hearing those who always say curse words in every conversation... I know some in our place.
At home, everytime i heard my little siblings shouting at older siblings or calling names and saying curse words.. I really slap their mouth..

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4 years ago

You never know how hard I cried haha alam mo yung halos mawalan ka na ng hininga habang umiiyak? Ang OA pero ganun talaga yung iyak ko nung first time na may nagmura sa akin, lagi akong pinapalo ng nanay ko dati pero never akong minura. Kaya ang sakit lang na marinig yun sa iba and di rin naman makaganti ng mura kaya iyak na lang.

Sa amin naman sa family, walang nagmumura kahit mga kapatid ko, ignorante kami sa profanity. Or so I thought, meron palang isang black sheep sa family na wagas kung mag mura sa social media, di lang namin alam since di niya kami friends and ang hilig din niya sumagot sagot sa amin, kahit sa parents namin. Nung isang araw nga di ko napigilan sarili ko at napagsasampal ko talaga sa sobrang sama ng lumalabas sa bibig.

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4 years ago

Ganun tlga kpg sensitive na tao iiyak.. At lage my black sheep sa family.. Samin nga madami 🤣🤣

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4 years ago

Bawal ngang sumagot sagot rapid kahit magsalita ng di tinatanong. Yun pa bang magmura Jane? Haha.. Mahahampas ng tsinelas sa bibig!

$ 0.01
4 years ago

Ay ako tlga strikta na ate.. Sampal agd ang bibig eh.. Nakakairita sa tenga. Ako nga hndi nagcucurse, tas maririnig ang nkababatang kapatid na magmumura.. Prang minura lng si mama

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4 years ago