Viva Lewes Issue #137 February 2018

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DR EMMA BYRNE, THE SWEARY SCIENTIST
What's the most creative swear word
you've heard? It repeatedly astounds me
when toddlers first start to do their own
version of swearing. It happens when
they're potty trained and they suddenly
realise that everything to do with the
toilet is taboo. Spontaneously they start
to call people ‘poo heads’ and ‘wee faces’
when they're annoyed, upset, or just want
to get a laugh. Although every toddler
does it, the first time any child does it is an act of
pure creation. I'll try to remember that when my
daughter reaches that stage!
How did you find yourself studying the science
of swearing? I was working in a neuroscience lab
in the Science Museum when I came across a study
on swearing and pain relief. It was such a simple
design with such a clear outcome: when we swear,
not only can we withstand more pain,
we can exert more strength for longer.
It made me wonder what else we know
about swearing.
Is swearing becoming more acceptable?
It may seem that way but,
actually, taboos simply change over time.
While blasphemy was once considered
exceptionally powerful, it rarely raises an
eyebrow these days - in British English
at least. Conversely, there are words that were in
the literature, and even the nursery rhymes, of my
grandparents' generation that I just wouldn't use.
Swearing is so deeply ingrained that it will never
truly disappear, it will keep reinventing itself. RC
Swearing Is Good For You, part of White Heat at
Brighton Science Festival, Sallis Benney Theatre,
Brighton, Sat 17th, 10.30am-5pm
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