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Dropping the F-bomb or other expletives may not only be an expression of agony, but also a means to alleviate it Bad language could be good for you, a new study shows. For the first time, psychologists have found that swearing may serve an important function in relieving pain.

Four-letter words have been around since the days of our forebears-and their forebears, too. In Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing, a book out this month from Oxford University Press, medieval literature expert Melissa Mohr traces humans' use of naughty language back to Roman times.

talks about effects of swear words in second language skin conductivity tests

This article talks about the misconception of swearing in front of your kids. Kids do not seem to be affected by swearing unless it is a racial slur.

How many swear words are comprised of four words, at a higher rate than normal english words.

A book investigating the history of profanity, and the evolution of society's attitude towards profanity. The description of the book (on ProQuest, which can be accessed through your Punahou credentials), summarizes it as "a fascinating, comprehensive insight into an increasingly popular area, [which] provides an explanation, and not simply a description, of how modern attitudes to bad language have come about." Written by Tony McEnery and published in 2005. A potentially interesting jumping-off point for people interested in exploring the ever-evolving societal perspective on profanity. (Reposted because of incomplete tags; previous post deleted)

McDonald's swears up and down that the little yellow "Minions" Happy Meal toy is speaking only nonsense words and not something a little more adult. Experts say the company may be right, and the curse words many hear may be tied to how our brains are primed to find words even when they're not really there. "The brain tries to find a pattern match, even when just receiving noise, and it is good at pattern recognition," says Dr. Steven Novella, a neurologist at the Yale School of Medicine. "Once the brain feels it has found a best match, then that is what you hear. The clarity of the speech actually increases with multiple exposures, or if you are primed by being told what to listen for" - as most people who heard the toy online already had been. The technical name for the phenomenon is "pareidolia," hearing sounds or seeing images that seem meaningful but are actually random. It leads people to see shapes in clouds, a man in the moon or the face of Jesus on a grilled cheese sandwich.

A psychologist on why swearing can be beneficial to your health In the video above, Catherine Caldwell-Harris explains why the eff those terms we all know, and most of us use, are not necessarily effing bad. Swearing is unlikely to make the desired impression on in-laws, but it could be good for your blood pressure.

I thought this was pretty interesting