Swearing and the Brain A Cultural and Emotional Experience

Abstract

Swearing stems from functions involved in the brain, specifically automatic and emotional swearing. The process excludes regions involved in conscious thought, like the prefrontal cortex and language processing centers, typically active in deliberate speech. It is important to note that this exclusion does not imply that these language areas are completely uninvolved; rather, automatic swearing relies more heavily on emotional circuitry such as the amygdala and basal ganglia. Research has focused on exploring the right hemisphere and its involvement with the automatic processing of emotional information, which is crucial in spontaneous swearing. Evidence and imaging tests from cases including damage to the left hemisphere point to significant activity in the right hemisphere during instances of automatic swearing. Additionally, the concept of swearing also involves the idea of “taboo,” and the brain responds to expletives in a manner similar to when responding to threats to safety, indicating a deep-rooted emotional and survival mechanism at play.