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Why are people so frequently betrayed by their mouths? Scientists and psychologists have different theories about this special breed of mortification. People say between two and six words per second, which affords plenty of room for mistakes. For Dr. Geoff Goodman, a psychoanalyst in New York and professor at Long Island University, using the wrong word or name "reveals a secret desire forbidden by society or one's self." Before the mind goes into censor mode, the unconscious, hidden thoughts can spill out.

Examples of psychologist experiments where fruedian slips occur

What our speech reveals about us

Sometimes ideas that originate in science seep out into the broader culture and take on a life of their own. It's still common to hear people referred to as "anal," a Freudian idea that no longer has much currency in contemporary psychology.

slang captures elements of humanity that are not recorded elsewhere. "What slang really does is show us at our most human," says Jonathon Green, a scholar of slang. It is the linguistic equivalent of our "unfettered Freudian id," proof of how deeply we desire social affirmation, how subversive we can be and, in some ways, how unchanging humans are. After all, while the words may change, the thematic areas (sex, drugs, crime, insults, etc.) have remained unwavering for half a millennium. So has slang's primary purpose: to playfully disguise true meaning in a way that determines who is in the know and who is out.