Why Do We Swear?

THAT'S THE WHY:THERE'S A scene in The Simpsonswhere Homer gets a phone call at the nuclear power plant to say Bart has been up to something abominable.

Lisa is beside her father, so he puts on protective headgear to muffle his rants as he turns the air behind the face-shield blue.

When he takes the headgear off, he’s calm again.

Most of us are guilty of emitting a few expletives when stressed, angry or in pain, but why do we do it?

Cussing can be a substitute for physical aggression, while profanities can also be a vehicle to intimidate others.

And unleashing swear words may also help relieve pain, according to a study published last summer.

Researchers at Keele University found that students could tolerate the pain of keeping a hand in iced water for longer if they were allowed to curse during the experiment rather than just repeat a non-expletive term while in discomfort.

Other studies indicate the urge to curse comes from primitive parts of the human brain.

Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, whose 2007 book The Stuff of Thoughtlooks at swearing and vocalisation, reckons we are hardwired to curse as a form of release and draws a parallel between the yelp a non-human mammal like a dog might let out if you step on its tail and the cathartic expletive a human might emit if they smash a hammer on their thumb.