Monday, May 17, 2010

Science proves it: F-bomb reigns supreme | California Watch

Science proves it: F-bomb reigns supreme | California Watch


Science proves it: F-bomb reigns supreme

Since the turn of the 20th century, scholars have attempted to figure out why we swear and why we use particular profanities when we curse, according to Dr. Timothy Jay, a psychology professor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
Professor Jay, a nationally recognized expert in profanity, has recorded conversations and conducted studies to quantify the amount of swear words used in everyday conversation and what words most often come out when people cuss.
Jay is the author of "Cursing in America," described as the first serious examination of profanity from a psychological and linguistic point of view, as well as "What To Do When Your Students Talk Dirty" and "Why We Curse."
Lauren Stephenson recently posted a chart from Esquire using data from Jay's studies.
The illustration shows that people dropped the F-bomb more frequently than any other curse word – peaking in