The Psychology of Profanity: A Neutral Perspective

 

The intent here is to speak neutrally about the mindset behind profanity and "curse words" without writing a single actual swear word.

Steven Pinker and the Science of Swearing

In 2018, Canadian psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker visited Mumbai. Pinker has provided the world with an interesting study on profanity. While swearing is considered uncivilized, Steven argues that these are just words if you don't focus on their literal meanings. For example, people may find it unpleasant to talk about excrement; hence, in English, it is often referred to as "human waste." Describing it as "waste expelled by the body" doesn't feel as bad as using other specific words—which I won’t write here as they might seem inappropriate. Today, on television and in films, audio is often muted (censored) at specific points where such words occur.

A Personal Encounter and Gender Dynamics

It is possible that some women have never heard profanity, let alone spoken it. I was raised in a similar environment, where the idea of women using swear words was unimaginable. In college, when I was about sixteen, I met a friend from Navsari. Once, while traveling with her, some boys made comments at us. Until then, I was used to ignoring such comments and walking away quietly. But that day, my friend, in a fit of rage, told me, "Divyasha, put your fingers in your ears," and she unleashed such a volley of swear words at them that they hid their faces and ran away.

This was my first "encounter" with profanity. Those words and that incident remain fresh in my memory. My friend knew I had never heard such language and wouldn't be able to tolerate it.

Catharsis and Social Conditioning

Hearing swear words from a woman's mouth for the first time was a strange thrill, yet those words were the usual ones targeting mothers and sisters. At the time, I couldn't process it deeply. Later, living in Mumbai, whether you want to or not, such words hit your ears daily. Initially, seeing women in the second-class ladies' compartment of local trains swearing so casually was surprising, as the assumption was that only men could swear.

Many women like me likely felt a sense of thrill hearing women use the same words men do. Over time, I realized that because of my inability to swear, I would end up crying when I got angry. Swearing is a way of expressing anger. One could argue: why are these slurs always directed at women? Well, that is the result of social mindset.

The Patriarchal Root and "Changing the Gender"

Hearing these slurs that demean women makes one very angry, but there isn't much one can do except choose not to use them. Because these curses target women, they hurt deeply. However, looking at the context, it seems natural for a swear word to slip out when one is filled with rage or resentment. You may have noticed that when women swear, they usually aren't crying; they are truly expressing their anger. When anger or resentment cannot find a way out, women often resort to tears.

In Leena Yadav’s film Parched, the three female protagonists "change the gender" of the swear words. Slurs typically aimed at females are converted into male-centric ones. This is something many women likely think about, and some even discuss it among themselves. However, as shown in the film, the practice of using male-centric slurs hasn't yet become common in reality.

Linguistics and Pain Tolerance

In a patriarchal society, it isn’t surprising that centuries-old swear words demean women. Looking at the "science of swearing," studies have been conducted abroad. In foreign languages, "swear words" or "cuss words" (a corruption of "curse") also often have feminine references.

Interestingly, many people today—men, women, and youth—use the English swear word (the F-word) quite casually in conversation without feeling it is "bad." In some regions, people don't take these words literally. For instance, some people in Surat use swear words casually in daily talk. Similarly, Parsis use such words naturally to express both love and anger. This suggests that the meaning intended by the speaker is what resonates with the listener. We must accept that if spoken in anger, the reaction can be violent; but if spoken with affection, the words don't wound the listener.

The Brain and the "Ice Water" Experiment

Steven Pinker says we store swear words in our brains according to their meaning, not just as sounds. For example, when we hear the word "Red," we don't imagine the color blue, even if the word is written in blue ink. Similarly, our brains notice the meaning of a swear word immediately, which is why we often cannot stop our brains from reacting to them.

Psychologists conducted another experiment: they asked people to put their hands in ice-cold water while repeating neutral words and timed how long they could endure it. Then, they allowed them to use swear words. They found that people could keep their hands in the cold water significantly longer when swearing. Thus, profanity can actually increase a person's pain tolerance.

Historical and Cultural Context

Scholars like Labhshankar Purohit have studied Phatana (traditional wedding songs). In these songs, women from the bride’s or groom’s side mock the opposite party through indirect satire and humor. While they don't use direct profanity, their words are often symbolic. According to him, some words considered "obscene" today have existed since the Vedic period and are even mentioned in the Gita. It is possible that words considered "bad" now weren't considered so in the past.

In the songs of Bhil and tribal communities, certain words generally considered "slurs" appear naturally. Today, if certain words are spoken in English in "polite society," no one objects; but if the same words are spoken in an Indian language, people's eyebrows go up.

Conclusion

Feminists demand that swear words should not have references that demean women, which is a valid point. However, one must accept that any word spoken with malice becomes a "curse." Words are like knives: they can be used to chop vegetables, or they can wound someone. As Pinker suggests, swearing is an arrangement of words; if we changed the meanings we attach to them, their impact would vanish.

After all, what if the word "Red" actually meant "Green"?

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Follow-up: This essay raises a great point about the "thrill" of reclaiming language. Do you think shifting the gender of swear words—as mentioned in the film Parched—is an effective way to challenge patriarchy, or does it just perpetuate the cycle of using language as a weapon?