Is swearing in another language easier?

Do you always find yourself cursing in Spanish, but not your mother tongue? According to a Boston University psychology professor, Catherine Caldwell-Harris, this is very normal because people tend to tap into their memories while speaking. You usually draw concepts or phrases that you learn from a different language, and you want to replicate that while cursing. 

It is not only limited to swearing. She met with a few Korean women, and when they all sat to talk, most of them spoke in English. Catherine believes that speaking in a different language seems less formal, and it also means less hierarchy in the group.

The emotional resonance

Why do people swear in a different language? According to Catherine, it has less emotional intensity than swearing in your mother tongue. Since the person you are cursing may not know the meaning of the words you uttered, he/she may not react aggressively. The reverse could have happened if you said the same thing in a language that both of you know. Moreover, in addition to the emotional connect, there is also the cultural factor that makes swearing in a different language easier.

Many countries have people who swear all the time. They don’t mind if people swear back at them. That’s their culture. This is one of the reasons why cursing in another language will have less emotional resonance. However, there are countries where swearing is frowned upon. 

Japan is one of those countries where people don’t curse in their mother tongue. If people want to swear, they will do in French or English. Some of them even go to the extent of hiring French translation services to translate a curse phrase from Japanese to French.