Why four little letters mean so much
It's rude, it's obscene and it may even be like hitting someone in the face without damaging your knuckles – it's swearing.
According to psychologists, yelling 'f**k off' is a powerful form of assault, especially if the intended victim cannot avoid hearing you.
A US research team also suggested swearing evolved as a way to emotionally injure someone without getting into a fight.
'It's a substitute for physical violence,' said psychologist Dr Timothy Jay. 'From an evolutionary point of view, it's an advantage for us to be able to say “f**k you” from across the street.'
He believes swearing is also a form of social bonding. 'In the locker room, the guy who doesn't swear is a weirdo,' said Dr Jay.
He has heard 10,000 people swear in public, with the f-word and sh*t making up half of US curses.
Meanwhile, British linguist Tony McEnery admires the f-word's ability to be inserted into words such as 'absolutely', as in 'abso-f**king-lutely'.
To make a good swear word, say experts, it has to be frowned upon, be insulting and have a powerful sound. That's why the f-word works so well.
Despite efforts by moral crusaders to stamp out swearing, the scientists say it is hard-wired into people's brains.
Some hospital patients have been able to say only swear words after a stroke.
At one point, French poet Charles Baudelaire could say only 'Cré nom', meaning 'God damn'. His nurses sent him home and asked for an exorcism
Quoted from http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=80579&in_page_id=34&ito=newsnow:
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