Using swear words as a major part of your daily vocabulary generally isn’t considered to be a good thing, but it seems science begs to differ.
While throwing expletives around in public does not maketh for a model citizen, there are plenty of reasons why ditching the swear jar might not be such a bad thing afterall.
So here are seven reasons to encourage us all to start swearing a little more.
1. It means you are more honest.
Your parents might not like you having a potty mouth, but they should be grateful that is how you express yourself 99% of the time because it actually means you are more honest.
Far from being vulgar, a University Of Cambridge study found that people who swear more frequently are less likely to be telling porkies or trying to deceive others about how they feel.
2. It will improve your gym game.
Turns out working really hard and putting in loads of effort at the gym was actually not the way to achieve abs of steel, instead you can allegedly boost your muscle strength by letting out a loud curse word as you step on the treadmill.
A new study revealed that swearing led to significant improvements in performance compared with uttering “neutral” words. Sorry fellow gym goers.
3. It gives you greater stamina.
Now we’re not saying that swearing loudly in public is going to magically revamp your sex life (there is a time and a place for these things afterall), but according to scientific research, swearing does actually improve our stamina. As well as our physical capability during that period of time. Better revise that dirty talk if we want to last longer then.
4. It increases pain tolerance.
Now it all makes sense. The reason you can’t help swearing under your breath when your racist uncle comes round for tea, is because effing and blinding actually helps increase your tolerance threshold. Dr Richard Stephens, from the University of Keele, who led the study said: “We know from our previous research that swearing makes people more able to tolerate pain.”
5. It doesn’t prove a lack of intelligence.
While we can’t tell you that swearing proves you’re smart, letting out a casual f-word in a meeting with your boss doesn’t prove you are any less intelligent than your polite colleagues - just a little less graceful perhaps.
The study from Yale University claimed: “These findings show that although cursing may not be socially desirable, it is not a predictor of intelligence or the lack thereof.” So get your swear on people.
6. It is your human right (or so they say).
When Salford City Council adopted a Public Space Protection Order that outlawed expletives in the Quays area back in March 2016, human rights campaigners were the first to leap to defend our right to swear in public.
Human rights group Liberty wrote to the council to express concern over the “chilling effect on freedom of expression” the order could have. They’ve got our back.
7. It makes being an adult a little less boring.
Regardless of what science says, all adults know that between paying your bills, commuting, and trying not to murder everyone you work with, there aren’t that many fun privileges adults have that children don’t. They get naps all day and having their meals cooked, so we’ll take booze, sex and swearing thanks very much. We’ve damn earned it.