Cursing

Grab yourself a cup of something and settle in. I’ve got some interesting insights for you here about cursing. 

Cursing is a fascinating topic studied from linguistic, cultural, neurological, and sociological perspectives. And I know Talk About Talk fans are interested in cursing.  “Taboo topics” and “profanity” are two of the most searched terms on the talkabouttalk.com website!

Let me start with this. 

Have you ever heard that people who curse have weak vocabularies? Well, this is incorrect. Studies have shown that “well-educated people with a wide range of words at their disposal are better at producing curse words than those with less verbal fluency”. The more words you know, the better you are at coming up with curses.  Note it’s not about intelligence…it’s about vocabulary.

A few more interesting facts for you:

• People who swear are perceived to be more honest in their emotions
• Scientists think profanity is located in a different part of the brain than regular speech.  Often people with aphasia or whose speech is otherwise impaired are still able to curse. 
• Cursing can increase pain tolerance and improve power and strength in physical tasks
• Swearing can also be associated with social intelligence, as it requires knowing when and where it's appropriate to use such language, similar to choosing the right outfit for a specific occasion.  

The 5 types of swearing

Linguist Steven Pinker suggests there are 5 (five) types of swearing:

1. Dysphemistic - urges the listener to think about negative or provocative things 
2. Idiomatic - what most of us hear every day - casual, expressing informality
3. Abusive - intended to belittle or hurt someone
4. Emphatic - used to show that something is surprising or good 
5. Cathartic  - heard when something bad happens like stubbing your toe or breaking an object

Interestingly, you can use certain curse words in all of these contexts. 

Take the F-bomb, one of the most flexible curses in the English language.

1. Dysphemistic:  He’s f**ked
2. Idiomatic:  Oh, f**k.
3. Abusive:  F*** you
4. Emphatic:   F**k!
5. Cathartic:  F**k!

With the last two, tone matters.  Emphatic has an up inflection while cathartic goes down.

Cultural context also plays a big role in cursing.  Words that our grandparents and great-grandparents used to say are considered taboo words now.   Words THEY would have considered taboo, are used more commonly now.  

A few years ago I interviewed University of Calgary linguistics Professor Darin Flynn.  I learned so much from Professor Flynn in this Talk About Talk interview.  I still think about this one comment he made:

Think about that for a moment.  Isn’t that just wonderful?  We now live in a society where the worst possible things you can say, the things we judge as the most profane, are derogatory towards minorities.  I love that.

Is it OK to swear at work?

In a recent Talk About Talk podcast episode, I mentioned a (non-scientific) poll I did on LinkedIn.  63% of respondents said they do NOT swear at work, while 37% said YES, they do.

What do you think?

Do you swear at work?

Based on my reading of the research, my answer to this question is an annoying “maybe.”  

The best answer, though, is for you to look at the corporate culture you work in and the language patterns of your colleagues.

Some organizations take a more permissive approach to cursing in the workplace.  Employees often equate some level of profanity in the workplace with a more relaxed, fun culture.  

Evidence suggests that groups tend to bond over social constructs; there is a connection between swearing and humor and the use of “humourous” cursing in conversations with colleagues.  Subgroups also develop around the use of cursing in the workplace.  For example, people in the warehouse may speak differently than the front office staff, who speak differently from the senior executives.

And, as I mentioned above, cursing can provide stress relief.

Here’s why you might not want to swear at work

The myth persists that people who curse aren’t as smart, well-educated, or sophisticated as those who don’t.  Even if that’s not necessarily true, you probably don’t want your work colleagues to ascribe these things to you.

There are other risks associated with profanity, including a perceived lack of respect or leadership skills.  Curse words can also be perceived as offensive by some and they can add to stress and workplace tension.

Beyond that, if someone feels the cursing is directed at them, in the “abusive” category from above, it can lead to a lack of motivation on the part of the employee, and in extreme cases, to lawsuits. In one legal case described in the research, a manager described his personal assistant to her face as being an intolerable B on a Monday morning. She immediately resigned, sued for constructive dismissal, and won.

Here’s where I stand. 

Certainly in most cases, in particular in the presence of customers or clients, profanity should be discouraged. Let’s say “Virtually banned.” 

I’ll save it for the rare occasions when I need it. 

Oh….and one final interesting fact about cursing from CNN. It’s not just people who swear.

Even primates curse when given the chance.

“Chimpanzees in the wild tend to use their excrement as a social signal, one that’s designed to keep people away,” [said Emma Byrne, author of “Swearing is Good for You”].

Hand-raised chimps who were potty-trained learned sign language for “poo” so they could tell their handlers when they needed the toilet.

“And as soon as they learned the poo sign they began using it like we do the word sh*t,” Byrne said. “Cursing is just a way of expressing your feelings that doesn’t involve throwing actual sh*t. You just throw the idea of sh*t around.”

Homework

This week, here’s something more fun. 

Check out The History of Swearing hosted by Nicolas Cage on Netflix.  It’s a edu-comedy series with surprisingly insightful comments from comedians, academics, and sociologists.  

Warning:  NSFW 

I’d love to hear what you think about cursing - at work or otherwise! Please share your comments below.

Talk soon,

Andrea

Dr. Andrea Wojnicki is a Harvard-educated executive communication coach. She founded "Talk About Talk" to help ambitious executives communicate with confidence and clarity by focusing on topics such as personal branding, overcoming imposter syndrome, listening, demonstrating leadership, and formal presentation skills.  Andrea provides 1:1 coaching, workshops, keynote speeches, and online courses. She also shares her thought leadership as a columnist at Inc. magazine and she hosts the Talk About Talk podcast, with over 150 episodes and counting.