The late comedian George Carlin famously challenged society’s limits on language with his “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television.” After performing them on stage in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested, in an incident that catapulted him to fame and cemented his career satirizing our unease with swear words.
Cursing exists in every language and has for hundreds of years, often tied to sex, the body, or everyday bodily functions. Linguists have long studied why we swear, but the question remains: why do people curse? Furthermore, could it actually affect our health?
Click through the following gallery to discover what our favorite curse words reveal about human psychology, culture, and even our health.