Swearing may not always be polite, but it's one of the most natural ways we express emotion. Studies have linked swearing to traits like intelligence, honesty, and even a higher pain threshold. New research from WordTips and Mental Floss, backed by data from the University of Queensland and Monash University, is now examining how people around the world use swearing.
By analyzing 1.7 million posts in the English language, researchers identified the nations that use the most and least profanity, although the results may be biased in favor of English-speaking countries because posts in other languages were not included. This global survey of swearing shows how rich and diverse human communication can be. What sounds offensive in one country may be considered harmless teasing in another, proving that the meaning of language is never universal.
Click through the following gallery to find out which countries swear the most and how profanity shapes identity across cultures.