Abstract
Taboo words are defined and sanctioned by institutions of power (e.g., religion, media), and prohibitions are reiterated in child-rearing practices. Native speakers acquire folk knowledge of taboo words, but it lacks the complexity that psychological science requires for an understanding of swearing. Misperceptions persist in psychological science and in society at large about how frequently people swear or what it means when they do. Public recordings of taboo words establish the commonplace occurrence of swearing (ubiquity), although frequency data are not always appreciated in laboratory research. A set of 10 words that has remained stable over the past 20 years accounts for 80% of public swearing. Swearing is positively correlated with extraversion and Type A hostility but negatively correlated with agreeableness, conscientiousness, religiosity, and sexual anxiety. The uniquely human facility for swearing evolved and persists because taboo words can communicate emotion information (anger, frustration) more readily than nontaboo words, allowing speakers to achieve a variety of personal and social goals with them (utility). A neuro-psycho-social framework is offered to unify taboo word research. Suggestions for future research are offered.
Highlights
Taboo words are defined and sanctioned by institutions of power, and prohibitions are reiterated in child-rearing practices
This review is organized around eight questions that are used to pique psychologists’ interest in taboo words and to promote a deeper understanding of them through future research: What are taboo words and why do they exist? What motivates people to use taboo words? How often do people say taboo words, and who says them? What are the most frequently used taboo words? Does psychological science acknowledge the significance of the frequency of taboo word use? Is a folk knowledge of taboo words sufficient for psychological science? How should psychological science define language? Does psychological science even need a theory of swearing?
I used the word ubiquity in my title to point to two features of taboo words that are worthy of more attention
Summary
ABSTRACT—Taboo words are defined and sanctioned by institutions of power (e.g., religion, media), and prohibitions are reiterated in child-rearing practices. Native speakers acquire folk knowledge of taboo words, but it lacks the complexity that psychological science requires for an understanding of swearing. Misperceptions persist in psychological science and in society at large about how frequently people swear or what it means when they do. Public recordings of taboo words establish the commonplace occurrence of swearing (ubiquity), frequency data are not always appreciated in laboratory research. A neuro-psycho-social framework is offered to unify taboo word research. Research is reviewed here in an attempt to show that swearing is a rich emotional, psychological, and sociocultural phenomenon with implications for those studying language acquisition, child rearing, gender differences, neuroscience, mental health, personality, person perception, emotion, verbal abuse, and cross-cultural differences. What motivates people to use taboo words? Does psychological science acknowledge the significance of the frequency of taboo word use? Is a folk knowledge of taboo words sufficient for psychological science? This review is organized around eight questions that are used to pique psychologists’ interest in taboo words and to promote a deeper understanding of them through future research: What are taboo words and why do they exist? What motivates people to use taboo words? How often do people say taboo words, and who says them? What are the most frequently used taboo words? Does psychological science acknowledge the significance of the frequency of taboo word use? Is a folk knowledge of taboo words sufficient for psychological science? How should psychological science define language? Does psychological science even need a theory of swearing?
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