Catherine Loveday, Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster, wrote for The Conversation on the power and importance of swearing.
The article, which Professor Loveday co-authored with other academics, has been republished by a wide range of media outlets such as iNews and RTÉ.
Professor Loveday explained the various health effects of swearing, from how it can act as pain relief, the effect it has on our emotions and the implication it has on our relationships.
She says: “Research suggests that swearing might be located in different parts of the brain from other speech regions.
“Specifically, it might activate parts of the “limbic system”. These deep structures are involved in aspects of memory and emotion processing which are instinctive and difficult to inhibit.
“[There are] an array of distinctive social purposes of swearing – from expressing aggression and causing offence to social bonding, humour and story-telling. Bad language can even help us manage our identities and display intimacy and trust as well as boosting attention and dominance over other people.”
Read the full article on The Conversation website.
