You kiss your mom with that mouth?

Okay, maybe I got a little carried away with dropping the f-bombs yesterday. It got away from me. I think it was like going to the bathroom; you can't just let a bit out, and then stop. If it's in there and needs to get out, you have to let nature take its course.

Human nature - what a great defense! According to this New York Times article by Natalie Angier, swearing is simply in our nature. We have always been a cursing people, regardless of language, ethnicity, upbringing, or dialect. Writings throughout the centuries - the Bible, the works of Shakespeare - have been littered with "naughty" language.

Cursing may also allow scientists to study how the different regions of the brain - the "higher," more intelligent vs. the "lower," more bestial - communicate. How do our senses and reflexes react to hearing or seeing a swear word? You know, when I said I intended this blog to be a reflection of my thoughts, I'm not sure I meant that literally.

Here are some other tidbits from the article, most of which you probably knew, but they sound so much better when confirmed by a science writer from the New York Times:

♦ Swearing helps relieve stress, anger, and anxiety.

♦ Men generally curse more than women (unless those women belong to a sorority).

♦ The word "golly" was once considered a profanity.