DAMN: or an equivalent swear word

This is the title of a great album by a great rapper, Kendrick Lamar. It made me think that he might have wanted a more sweary title and that made me think more generally about judgements surrounding swearing. I sometimes swear when giving talks and lectures. More precisely, I use the word “fuck” as a means of emphasis. So far as I can recall, I have only ever sworn in the workplace to convey excitement and interest. I don’t think I have ever sworn at anyone at LSE in an aggressive or abusive way. Some people would rather I did not swear at all. But why not?

Perhaps they believe it is a sign of a poor vocabulary and/or low intelligence. If so, they should revise that belief because no such correlations have ever been found. Perhaps they believe it will alienate some people – presumably including them. Well, there is evidence to suggest that students pay more attention to a teacher who swears, and they are encouraged to express their own opinions more freely. This is not to say that I don’t alienate some people, but rather to suggest that, on balance, my swearing probably does more good than harm. Swearing has also been shown to reduce pain, and to increase connectedness.