Do you swear often? That just means you're honest

We swear we're not lying.

Sarwat Fatima Sarwat Fatima
जनवरी 06, 2017
It's a good thing that you are not in the habit of filtering your emotions. Photo courtesy: Instagram/ HateCopy

If you are always at the receiving end of criticism for being a little foul-mouthed, then you no longer need to feel ashamed about it. It turns out, people who swear quite often are usually more honest than those who don't.

According to a recent study, swearing is the 'unfiltered, genuine expression of emotions' and those who do it frequently are found to be more sincere. To come to think of it, it does make sense. If you are not in the habit of filtering your emotions and language to convey a message, it clearly means you don't hold things in.

The researchers from Maastricht University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Stanford University; and University of Cambridge in a joint study state, "We set out to provide an empirical answer to competing views regarding the relationship between profanity and honesty".

"We found a consistent positive relationship between profanity and honesty; profanity was associated with less lying and deception at the individual level, and with higher integrity at the society level," they continued.

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Published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, the research mentions a survey conducted on 276 people. It was found that most people, who swear, said it was to express their true self and be honest, or to express negative emotions rather than to insult or intimidate others.

To check whether the participants were honest while justifying their use of language, researchers measured their honesty using a test with questions including whether they had ever blamed someone for their mistake, cheated at a game or taken advantage of someone else.

Going by a report published in the Daily Mail, those who wrote down more swear words they frequently used, liked them more and used them most often were found to lie least.

So, the next time you feel embarrassed because bestie just cussed someone--go easy on her. You have an honest friend.

Also read: Is there such a thing as an emotional hangover? Science says there is

 

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