Swearing Is Actually a Sign of More Intelligence - Not Less - Say Scientists

[Cardinal]

Have a nice day, assholes.

The use of obscene or taboo language - or swearing, as it’s more commonly known - is often seen as a sign that the speaker lacks vocabulary, cannot express themselves in a less offensive way, or even lacks intelligence.


Studies have shown, however, that swearing may in fact display a more, rather than less, intelligent use of language.

While swearing can become a habit, we choose to swear in different contexts and for different purposes: for linguistic effect, to convey emotion, for laughs, or perhaps even to be deliberately nasty.

Psychologists interested in when and why people swear try to look past the stereotype that swearing is the language of the unintelligent and illiterate.

In fact, a study by psychologists from Marist College found links between how fluent a person is in the English language and how fluent they are in swearing.

Swearing Is Actually a Sign of More Intelligence - Not Less - Say Scientists

The use of obscene or taboo language - or swearing, as it’s more commonly known - is often seen as a sign that the speaker lacks vocabulary, cannot express themselves in a less offensive way, or even lacks intelligence.

www.sciencealert.com

 

[PoS]

Shit.

 

[Bubber]

Then I'm the smartest Motherf****r in the world!

 

[phoenix2020]

Well, a double dumbass on them.

 

[HIP56948]

Then I'm the smartest Motherf****r in the world!

God Damn it..then I'm the second smartest son of a B......!!

 

[Ug make hammer]

Well **** the ***** **** and *********, **** yeah.

It doesn't look more intelligent.

 

[Mina]

Have a nice day, assholes.

Swearing Is Actually a Sign of More Intelligence - Not Less - Say Scientists

The use of obscene or taboo language - or swearing, as it’s more commonly known - is often seen as a sign that the speaker lacks vocabulary, cannot express themselves in a less offensive way, or even lacks intelligence.

www.sciencealert.com

I see two different aspects of the question, which may be driven by different things:

(1) How much obscene vocabulary do you have at your disposal? If we test how many swear words a person can come up with, we'd naturally expect it to be correlated tightly with intelligence (at least among native speakers of the language in question), for the same reason we'd expect smarter people to be able to list more colors, or more synonyms for "happy." High verbal intelligence is going to store and retrieve swear words better, just like the rest of the language.

(2) How often does the person tend to use swear words?

That second one is where I'd expect the relationship with intelligence to be more complicated. Like some of the most frequent users of obscenities are probably verbally stupid people, because those words are basically crutches for them that they reach for reflexively when they can't come up with something that fits better. Like "that asshole is ****ing shit up" takes a lot less brainpower than a sentence that conveys why you have a problem with the person, what exactly he's causing problems with, and how. "That braggart is alienating potential allies." Same number of words in that second sentence, but far more useful information. But, at the same time, people who NEVER swear are probably also disproportionately unintelligent, since avoiding those words entirely is probably more common among the highly religious, and religiosity and IQ have an inverse correlation.

So, I'd guess, you'd find that the smartest people tend to sprinkle in a small but highly varied number of swear words into their speech.

 

[Cardinal]

I see two different aspects of the question, which may be driven by different things:

(1) How much obscene vocabulary do you have at your disposal? If we test how many swear words a person can come up with, we'd naturally expect it to be correlated tightly with intelligence (at least among native speakers of the language in question), for the same reason we'd expect smarter people to be able to list more colors, or more synonyms for "happy." High verbal intelligence is going to store and retrieve swear words better, just like the rest of the language.

(2) How often does the person tend to use swear words?

That second one is where I'd expect the relationship with intelligence to be more complicated. Like some of the most frequent users of obscenities are probably verbally stupid people, because those words are basically crutches for them that they reach for reflexively when they can't come up with something that fits better. Like "that asshole is ****ing shit up" takes a lot less brainpower than a sentence that conveys why you have a problem with the person, what exactly he's causing problems with, and how. "That braggart is alienating potential allies." Same number of words in that second sentence, but far more useful information. But, at the same time, people who NEVER swear are probably also disproportionately unintelligent, since avoiding those words entirely is probably more common among the highly religious, and religiosity and IQ have an inverse correlation.

So, I'd guess, you'd find that the smartest people tend to sprinkle in a small but highly varied number of swear words into their speech.

tl;dr version: it's the difference between swearing for narrative emphasis and swearing as lazy add-ins because the right word can't be found.

 

[thelastman]

Seems like they do a study that allegedly proves that smart people swear more every week. The size of a persons swearing vocabulary is linked to the size of their overall vocabulary.. Who would have thunk it. Im glad they did another study.

The 30 million word gap may explain why higher socioeconomic that tend to do better on socioeconomically biased IQ tests and also tend to earn more money due to the fact that they do not come from disadvantaged backgrounds may explain why educated people who are overwhelmingly leftists have larger vocabularies than allegedly less intelligent people. And I think there is a difference between knowing swear words and using them. We all know that the modern left are a bunch of degenerates so of course they are going to swear more than conservatives that are typically of a lower class and that are more likely to embrace traditional values that encourage people to be polite and to have manners.

 

[Mika-El]

Cardinal I can only say there maybe on exception to what your source states and that is:

 

[Ug make hammer]

<snip> of course they are going to swear more than conservatives that are typically of a lower class and that are more likely to embrace traditional values that encourage people to be polite and to have manners.

In other words, know their place. "Traditional values" include licking boots.

 

[Manc Skipper]

Seems like they do a study that allegedly proves that smart people swear more every week. The size of a persons swearing vocabulary is linked to the size of their overall vocabulary.. Who would have thunk it. Im glad they did another study.

The 30 million word gap may explain why higher socioeconomic that tend to do better on socioeconomically biased IQ tests and also tend to earn more money due to the fact that they do not come from disadvantaged backgrounds may explain why educated people who are overwhelmingly leftists have larger vocabularies than allegedly less intelligent people. And I think there is a difference between knowing swear words and using them. We all know that the modern left are a bunch of degenerates so of course they are going to swear more than conservatives that are typically of a lower class and that are more likely to embrace traditional values that encourage people to be polite and to have manners.

Conservatives are lower class than the degenerate leftists? Could you unpick that for me?

 

[Daisy]

I disagree...a person resorts to swearing when they have a limited vocabulary...

 

[nota bene]

Seems like they do a study that allegedly proves that smart people swear more every week. The size of a persons swearing vocabulary is linked to the size of their overall vocabulary.. Who would have thunk it. Im glad they did another study.

The 30 million word gap may explain why higher socioeconomic that tend to do better on socioeconomically biased IQ tests and also tend to earn more money due to the fact that they do not come from disadvantaged backgrounds may explain why educated people who are overwhelmingly leftists have larger vocabularies than allegedly less intelligent people. And I think there is a difference between knowing swear words and using them. We all know that the modern left are a bunch of degenerates so of course they are going to swear more than conservatives that are typically of a lower class and that are more likely to embrace traditional values that encourage people to be polite and to have manners.

The size of one's vocabulary is directly linked to how much one reads.

 

[thelastman]

Conservatives are lower class than the degenerate leftists? Could you unpick that for me?

Republicans tend to be working class and uneducated. The leftist media like to make a big deal about how 'uneducated' are more likely to vote for Trump for example. It is the same in places like Australia and UK where what were traditionally workers parties in Labour/Labor have been hijacked by educated leftists that hate the working class which has pushed uneducated people to vote for the conservative parties. What dont you understand?

Do you think that an upper class person cant be a degenerate because of their high socioeconomic status? Think of how the early Christians were of a lower class in Rome. The degenerate Roman elite may were of higher social status right? Things are pretty similar in modern times.

 

[dmpi]

I've watched enough YouTube videos to know this isn't true.

 

[Daisy]

 

[thelastman]

The size of one's vocabulary is directly linked to how much one reads.

Oh really. The first five years of life are considered to be all-important for child development - including for language skills. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds hear 30 million fewer words in their first four years of life than children of higher socioeconomic backgrounds. So when these kids do get to an age that they can read they are going to need to read a hell of a lot of books to make up the gap arent they? 30 million word gap...

 

[nota bene]

Oh really. The first five years of life are considered to be all-important for child development - including for language skills. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds hear 30 million fewer words in their first four years of life than children of higher socioeconomic backgrounds. So when these kids do get to an age that they can read they are going to need to read a hell of a lot of books to make up the gap arent they? 30 million word gap...

Gosh, if only disadvantaged children had television to watch so that they had exposure to others' language--word choice and pronunciation.

 

[Ug make hammer]

Conservatives are lower class than the degenerate leftists? Could you unpick that for me?

Coastal elites something college something something ...

 

[thelastman]

Gosh, if only disadvantaged children had television to watch so that they had exposure to others' language--word choice and pronunciation.

HA! Im pretty sure lower socioeconomic people do put their kids in front of a television more than those of higher status. Maybe there isnt anything intelligent on there.

Apparently television background noise reduces the quality and quantity of parent-child interaction.

 

[Ginger Ale]

**** yeah!

 

[SNOWFLAKE]

Read the article and it made some valid points.
It can be summarized by simply saying it depends on HOW you swear.
Example: currently reading a book about life in India post Gandhi and partition and the language is very colorful, but meant to express the idioms of the time and add color to the dialogue.
Quite different from a book that simply throws out swear words for the sensation.
I can understand someone telling me to **** off, but when someone calls me a ****ing p...sy, it says something more about them than it does me.
Though I do like being called a ****ing SNOWFLAKE

 

[Ug make hammer]

Gosh, if only disadvantaged children had television to watch so that they had exposure to others' language--word choice and pronunciation.

Television is passive consumption, but you don't learn to talk that way.

Unless you have a parent or older sibling watching with you. Then at least you can ask the meaning of words you don't know. This is probably a socioeconomic class thing: parents who are tired or emotionally beaten up from having a shit job, are more likely to turn on TV or line up some episodes, and just leave the kid to it.

Mayoclinic recommends no screen time at all before 18 months, and just 1 hour for kids 2 to 5. That leaves a HEAP of time when the child can and should be doing something interactive ("unstructured play") with parents, friends or siblings.

 

[aociswundumho]

Some people just can't express themselves properly without swearing.