The power of swearing: how obscene words influence your mind, body and relationships

By Karyn Stapleton, Senior Lecturer in Interpersonal Communication, Ulster University
Catherine Loveday, Neuropsychologist, University of Westminster
Kristy Beers, Professor, Södertörn University
Richard Stephens, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Keele University

Swearing was long dismissed as a topic of serious research because it was assumed to be simply a sign of aggression, weak language proficiency or even low intelligence. We now have quite a lot of evidence that challenges this view, prompting us to reconsider the nature – and power – of swearing.

Whether we are fans of swearing or not, many of us are likely to resort to it now and again. To estimate the power of swearing, and work out where it comes from, we recently carried…

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