Health
A Swearing Expert Discusses the State of Profanity
 
																								
												
												
											Cursing is coursing through society. Words once too blue to publicly utter have become increasingly commonplace. “Language is just part of the whole shift to a more casual lifestyle,” said Timothy Jay, a professor emeritus of psychology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Mass.
Dr. Jay has spent a career studying the use of profanity, from what motivates it to the ways in which it satisfies, signals meaning and offends. Although officially retired, he has continued to edit studies on profanity and he recently offered an expert opinion in an ongoing legal dispute in Michigan over whether the phrase “Let’s go Brandon” (a euphemism used to denigrate former President Joseph R. Biden Jr.) should be reasonably interpreted as “profane.” (It should not, Dr. Jay opined.)
Dr. Jay posits that the increasingly casual nature of the spoken word derives in part from the way people communicate on social media. One study, published in 2014 by other researchers in the field, found that curse words on Twitter, now known as X, appeared in 7.7 percent of posts, with profanity representing about 1 in every 10 words on the platform. That compared to a swearing rate of 0.5 to 0.7 percent in spoken language, the study found.
If that data troubles you, Dr. Jay has some thoughts on how to dial back the profanity. F*@%-free February, anyone?
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity, and scrubbed of some of the vernacular that Dr. Jay conceded he regularly uses on the golf course.
Why does social media contribute to more casual use of language?
People are remote, so they can be aggressive without any physical retaliation. By and large, you’re anonymous, so there’s no personal consequence. It’s also part of a larger shift to a more casual lifestyle. What kids are wearing to school these days would have been disgraceful in my day.
Is that a problem — not the clothes, the swearing?
Our culture is constantly evolving and will continue to evolve. One place it is a problem is the way that women are increasingly attacked online and harassed.
So you don’t really see this development as positive or negative?
Slang is made to confront authority and to create a code that identifies one as an in-group member. Misuse of slang means you are an outsider. Slang must change with time.
The casualness of language coexists with the casualness of clothing styles, workplace behaviors, music lyrics, television content, table manners, et cetera, which have trended in general to a more relaxed state post-World War II, especially notable in the 1960s.
You’re saying that curse words that people once avoided they now say regularly.
For years, I asked people to rank swear words on a scale of one to 10 of which words were the worst. A five would be “damn” or “hell.” That was the middle range. A hundred years ago you couldn’t have used them on the radio; now they’re in the comic strips in the newspaper.
What ranks as a 1?
“Sugar.”
What about other alternatives to longstanding curse words? Can I run a few by you?
Go ahead.
“Fudge” — satisfying?
Not to me.
I hear a lot of people say “flipping” or “freaking.” Which one do you prefer?
I like “frickin’” — I’ve used, “Shut the frickin’ door!”
What do you like about that?
It’s similarity to … [expletive].
So if something is phonetically similar, that makes it satisfying?
It’s how it feels in your entire body — an autonomic nervous-system reaction to hearing someone say [expletive] or saying [expletive] yourself. It raises your pulse, heart rate, breathing rate all above the use of a nonoffensive word such as “calendar.” We recorded skin-conductance tests that demonstrated that taboo words produce a more emotional reaction than nontaboo words. The word arouses us in knowing that we are going to say it and continues to arouse us even after speaking.
Do these words provoke physical aggression?
My research group has recorded over 10,000 people swearing in public. Not once have we seen these usages turn into aggression or violence. Most swearing is casual, conversational and pretty harmless. At the same time, we are more sensitive to language issues surrounding sexual harassment, racial-ethnic-gender discrimination, verbal abuse and threatening language than in the past.
What draws us to a particular word?
It’s personal. One’s psychological history with hearing and saying a word mainly in childhood, and then the consequence of using the word again, brings about the feelings previously associated with the word.
It’s social, meaning the words that are important emotionally not only depend on the speaker’s psychological relationship with the word but also the value and valence of the word within a speaker’s community.
And it’s physical.
Does that suggest that euphemisms may not satisfy, and that therefore we can’t curb our cursing?
The key to breaking a habit is being aware that you do it and then trying to circumvent that.
So you can change the pattern should you wish to?
Yes. If you think about how memory works, what you’ve done is you’ve activated the new word in your brain. And so by activating “freakin’” or “sugar,” you’re making that more salient.
In other words, with practice, you can diminish the potency of the curse word and strengthen the lure of the euphemism.
Yes, but you have to be aware of both pieces and that one of them has natural salience.
Recently, I was watching my grandson, a mogul skier, when he went off course. And I just said, “dang.” He’s 18 years old, and I try not to swear around him. But I have to think about it, especially when I play golf.
From where you sit in retirement, do you feel that swearing research is in good hands?
I gave a keynote speech to a group of international scholars meeting on swearing and cursing in Cologne, Germany, in 2015, two years before I retired. I was 65 years old at the time and most of the speakers were in their 30s and 40s. I realized that there was a new generation continuing to study taboo words in a manner that I pioneered in the 1970s. It was about time to step aside and let them have the glory.
 
																	
																															Health
TikTok’s Protein Matcha Burns Belly Fat and Is Easy To Make!
 
														
		
	
		    		
	
	
	
		
			
					
							
					Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.				
							
					Use escape to exit the menu.				
Sign Up
		Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
		Already have an account? Login
Health
Happiness expert shares 6-step morning routine that boosts mood and productivity
 
														NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Starting the morning on the right foot can pave the way for a successful day.
A new wellness trend focuses on the “5 to 9 before your 9 to 5,” which entails a healthy regimen between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. before heading to work.
Behavioral scientist and happiness expert Arthur Brooks, professor at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School in Boston, has proven these benefits through his six-step morning protocol to live more positively.
THAT MORNING CUP OF COFFEE COULD BE THE KEY TO A HAPPIER DAY, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS
In an in-person interview with Fox News Digital, Brooks broke down each of the six steps that set him up for a productive day, which he says have “dramatically improved” his life.
“You need to be disciplined, and you need to structure your day, and it turns out that what you do first thing in the morning really matters a lot,” he said. “I follow [this] almost every day.”
Behavioral scientist and happiness expert Arthur Brooks joins Fox News Digital for an interview. (Angelica Stabile; Fox News Digital)
1. Wake up before dawn (4:30 a.m.)
Brooks said he was not a morning person for years, as he was a musician in his 20s who never woke up before sunrise and thought of himself as a “night owl.”
COFFEE CRAZE HITS HOME AS MORE AMERICANS EMBRACE IN-HOUSE CAFÉ CULTURE
“The truth of the matter is, you can change your chronotype,” he said. “You can be more of a morning lark. It’s actually not that genetic, and it’s a really worthwhile endeavor to try to change that.”
“If you get up before dawn, you’ve kind of won the day, but not just morally — you’ve won neuro-scientifically.”

Research suggests that waking up before dawn promotes better focus, creativity and mood. (iStock)
According to the “Office Hours” podcast host, research suggests that waking up before dawn promotes better focus, creativity and mood. This is rooted in an “ancient idea of Indian wisdom” called Brahma Muhurta, which means “creator’s time” in Sanskrit.
“But it’s not just religion. It really does have a lot of science behind it,” Brooks said. “I get up at 4:30 a.m. — it works for me; it works with my schedule. You’ve got to figure out what yours is. But if you’re getting up when the sun is already warm, you’re already kind of behind the eight-ball.”
VIRAL MORNING WELLNESS ROUTINE PROMISES MORE ENERGY AND FOCUS BY NOON
Brooks noted that he uses a real alarm clock to wake up, as he keeps his phone out of the bedroom at night to avoid overexposure.
2. Move your body (4:45 a.m.-5:45 a.m.)
Brooks begins his day with a workout in his home gym, noting the importance of getting “real exercise” first thing in the morning.
Armed with an electrolyte drink, he typically does 75% resistance training and 15% Zone 2 cardio — steady-state aerobic exercise that feels easy to moderate — for an hour.

For those who are just starting out with this new schedule, Brooks recommends light exercise, like walking. (iStock)
There are a variety of ways to exercise, from endurance to yoga, Brooks noted. “If the first thing you do when you wake up is pick up heavy things and run around, you’re going to have a much better day,” he added.
TIKTOK’S 50-JUMP RITUAL IS REDEFINING HOW PEOPLE WAKE UP AND WARM UP
For those who are just starting out with a fitness and early wake-up routine, Brooks recommends light exercise, like walking.
3. Get metaphysical (6:30 a.m.)
After showering, Brooks heads out of the house for a 6:30 a.m. Catholic mass.
While not everyone is Catholic, or even religious, Brooks recommends participating in some type of “transcendent activity” that connects the body and soul.

Worship and meditation are great for “de-focusing” yourself, Brooks said. (iStock)
“You need to do something to not focus on yourself,” he said. “Worship is great for that. Meditation is good for that. There are a lot of different ways you can actually undertake this, but the whole point is to zoom out and get little.”
‘GREAT LOCK-IN’ BECOMES FALL’S HOTTEST WELLNESS TREND — HERE’S WHAT IT MEANS
“When I am on the road, which is about half the time, I stay in places where there’s a morning mass if I can possibly find it, such that I’m focusing on my soul just as much as I focus on my body.”
4. Coffee (7:15 a.m.)
Most people who wake up before 5 a.m. will feel inclined to immediately head for the coffee machine, but Brooks discouraged this impulse to reach for caffeine first thing in the morning.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Caffeine blocks a chemical in the brain called adenosine, which swarms the brain at night and makes you groggy in the morning. As a result, drinking it makes you feel more alert.
But Brooks said this is “not the best use” for coffee, as he instead recommends a morning workout to help clear any remaining adenosine.

Drinking coffee first thing in the morning is “not the best use” for max energy, according to Brooks. (iStock)
By the time coffee is introduced into the system, about an hour or two after waking, the brain is clear of adenosine, and the caffeine can focus on providing the body with energy.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“You’re not going to wake up with caffeine, you’re going to focus with caffeine,” he said. “It’s going to vacuum dopamine into your prefrontal cortex, and you’ll be more creative, you’ll be more stimulated to come up with new ideas, and that means you’re setting yourself up for a brilliant workday.”
5. Eat a high-protein breakfast (7:30 a.m.)
Protein is “critically important” for getting the most return from your morning workout, building strong muscles and shaping a balanced diet, according to Brooks.
For breakfast, he prefers non-fat Greek yogurt, topped with walnuts for micronutrients, mixed berries for antioxidants, whey protein and sometimes stevia for sweetness.

Clean protein can help build strong muscles and boost mood, the expert said. (iStock)
“I get 60 grams of protein with less than 400 calories. And man, I am ready to go,” he said. “With that caffeine and that meal, I’m ready to work.”
These “clean protein” breakfast options also contain tryptophan, the chemical best known for its presence in turkey that can cause sleepiness. In smaller doses, tryptophan can improve mood and mellow out the nervous system, Brooks noted.
6. Enter a flow state (8:00 a.m.)
Between 8:00 a.m. and noon, Brooks said he gets four solid hours of productivity and creativity, “with a level of focus I was never able to get earlier in my life before I set up this morning protocol.”
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
He enters and remains in a “state of flow” during his morning work, uninterrupted by social media or phone notifications.
“I can do more in four hours than I used to be able to do in two days. And I’m happier when I do it,” Brooks said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
By the time he eats another high-protein meal for lunch, he has completed his essential tasks and can take on other objectives in the latter part of the day.
“It’s really important that you not wreck that period of focus and concentration, spoiling it with your devices,” Brooks added. “Stay clean. Stay focused. Stay creative. And stay happy.”
Health
Ivy League Doctor Shares 5 Surprising Hacks To Balance Blood Sugar
 
														
		
	
		    		
	
	
	
		
			
					
							
					Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.				
							
					Use escape to exit the menu.				
Sign Up
		Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
		Already have an account? Login
- 
																	   New York1 week ago New York1 week agoVideo: How Mamdani Has Evolved in the Mayoral Race 
- 
																	   News1 week ago News1 week agoVideo: Federal Agents Detain Man During New York City Raid 
- 
																	   News1 week ago News1 week agoVideo: Driver Crashes Car Into Security Gate Near White House 
- 
																	   News1 week ago News1 week agoVideo: Inside Our Reporter’s Collection of Guantánamo Portraits 
- 
																	   Politics1 week ago Politics1 week agoHunter Biden breaks silence on pardon from dad Joe: ‘I realize how privileged I am’ 
- 
																	   World1 week ago World1 week agoTrump to host NATO chief at White House as Putin meeting collapses 
- 
																	   Politics1 week ago Politics1 week agoJack Smith defends subpoenaing Republican senators’ phone records: ‘Entirely proper’ 
- 
																	   News3 days ago News3 days agoWith food stamps set to dry up Nov. 1, SNAP recipients say they fear what’s next 
 
									 
									 
									 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											 
											