In today’s sociopolitical climate I’ve never been more sure that swearing is good; it helps. Stacey Colino, Time (April 1, 2025): “…Research has found that using profanity can have beneficial effects on people’s stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, there are numerous potential physical, psychological, and social perks related to the power of a well-timed F-bomb.”
Eagerly awaited these days are my installments of “Today’s Big Stuff” (subtitled The way the news should sound when the whole fucking world is on fire), a newsletter that the politically savvy duo of Adam Parkhomenko and Sam Youngman publish on weekdays. There’s always a warning about their use of swearing that changes a bit each time. Yesterday’s, for example, was Be advised: This newsletter uses profanity. But probably not as much as Trump did after nobody showed up to his shitty party.
Bonus: Check out their recent “Pride Power!” essay.
What are the specific benefits of swearing? Seven were recently listed by Neel Burton, M.A., M.D., Psychology Today. Brief excerpts of the explanations are provided below.
- Pain relief: “…activates the ‘fight or flight’ response, leading to a surge of adrenaline and corresponding analgesic effect.”
- Power and control (over a bad situation): “…we are not passive victims but empowered to react and fight back.”
- Non-violent retribution: “Instead of punching someone in the face or worse, we channel and disarm our anger by swearing instead…”
- Humor: “When among friends, swearing can be a source of mirth…”
- Peer and social bonding: “Swearing can show that we belong in a certain group, that we are able to be ourselves and wholly comfortable and secure with the members of that group.”
- Self-expression: “…can be a way of signaling that we really mean something, or that it is really important to us.”
- Improved psychological and physical health: “…increased circulation, elevated endorphins, and an overall sense of calm, control, and well-being.”
The following popular self-help books either use swearing to make their points or support the belief that swearing is good.
I. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life (2016), by Mark Manson.
Jennifer Haupt, Psychology Today, lists eight things many of us may care too much about, per Manson:
- Impressing other people
- Being right all the time
- Being “successful”
- Being pleasant and polite
- Being happy
- Feeling good all the time
- Being “perfect”
- Feeling secure and certain
Kirkus Reviews: “Popular blogger Manson…criticizes self-help books for their fundamentally flawed approach of telling readers they’re special, assuring them that they can surpass—but, notably, not solve—problems, and encouraging them to embrace their exceptionalism. The author sternly disagrees…This book, full of counterintuitive suggestions that often make great sense, is a pleasure to read and worthy of rereading.”
II. Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life (2017), by Gary John Bishop.
The following seven assertions serve as Bishop’s focus:
I am willing.
I am wired to win.
I got this.
I embrace the uncertainty.
I am not my thoughts; I am what I do.
I am relentless.
I expect nothing and accept everything.
III. Swearing Is Good for You: The Amazing Science of Bad Language (2018), by Emma Byrne
On her website Emma Byrne refers to herself as “the Sweary Scientist.” So, her Swearing Is Good for You could be viewed as “the sweary book?”
Kirkus Reviews: “…seven parts covering neuroscience, pain, a special look at Tourette’s syndrome (though she admits that most afflicted with the disease don’t swear), the workplace, primates, gender, and swearing in other languages.”
But hold on. Swearing isn’t always good, she writes. This whole cussing thing also has its downsides. These are also explained in relatively recent posts by such experts as Robert J. Cramer, Psychology Today, and Steve Albrecht, DBA, Psychology Today.
