Swearing Is Actually Good?
In the article, “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris, he talked about how language is connected to how people assess ability. He explores the effects of language in general on aspects of abilities and other people, and that led me to wonder, how can “bad” language affect people?
I researched a little bit about how using swear words and overall, “bad” language affect people. I found that actually, contrary to what most people would expect, studies show swearing can actually improve pain tolerance by roughly 33% and increase physical strength and reduce social distress. Obviously overuse of swear words can lower the effectiveness of swearing, and using swear words that target certain group of people can cause significant negative social impacts. But honestly? I think when used in a safe, and non-offensive way, it can be quite cathartic?
I know that this can be a quite controversial comment but I always wondered this because in Korea, some of the older generations can have a harsh tone in their language and talk in a way where 80% is profanity and 20% is advice, which I never found offensive. But I’ve noticed that in other places (not that I overwhelmingly use profanity), many people just automatically take a little bit of profanity and swearing as being too intimate, too offensive. Even though I think that both sides have a fair point, I think that while the usage of profanity and swearing can be used to hurt others, a lot of times it can be used to regulate oneself and release any pent-up feelings, and emotions.
Sooooo conclusion is I don’t think it’s great to restrict ourselves with language, especially with people we are comfortable with but also we have to be cautious to not use that language to hurt others. In the end, language can connect and disconnect humanity.
Sei, I thought this was a really thought-provoking blog! You took a line from the piece we read this week and really focused in on it. I think your experience impacted your perception of “bad” language in a way I didn’t think about it. I try not to swear (out loud at least) because I think if it really offends people I shouldn’t really say anything but according to your research I can tell that there are benefits. The last sentence was a nice way to tie up the blog.
ReplyDeleteI like your hot take on swearing. My aunt always apologizes after she swears in front of me and my cousins, as if we don’t hear it a hundred times at school. And I didn’t know how studies show it can improve pain tolerance.
ReplyDeleteSeiiii, I really like how you connected and showed the two different sides that profanity can have. Your personal cultural example made sense to me and gave me a different insight on how you might see things. I also really love the tone of your blog (it's kinda funny ^__^)
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