People Who Swear are More Likely to Be Intelligent, Study Shows

[dove]

3 minutes ago, Thesauron said:

Not at all. This is a misunderstanding. This does not mean one thing is better than the other, just that it points towards higher intelligence. Higher intelligence in itself is useless. An inclination within us to use a more colourful language is something we might want to suppress for a variety of reasons. This is also intelligence, practical wisdom. We can and should chose what to do and how to act.


Johan
You might be mixing things up a bit, perhaps.


Johan

Maybe you are right in that, but looking at it from a worldly point of view, I believe that those that want to swear and use colorful language could use the results of this study to say that this is what it means in their case, an excuse that they are 'intelligent'..instead of uncouth. People will take things however they like and whatever way will make them look right if their heart is so inclined..

[Thesauron]

Maybe you are right in that, but looking at it from a worldly point of view, I believe that those that want to swear and use colorful language could use the results of this study to say that this is what it means in their case, an excuse that they are 'intelligent'..instead of uncouth. People will take things however they like and whatever way will make them look right if their heart is so inclined..

You can definitely be intelligent and 'uncouth'. Many studies show that young children who are good liars are more intelligent with better memory skills (they are quick thinkers who can use information to their advantage, which indicates a highly developed brain). Probably so, but as times goes, their intelligence, if used correctly, will steer them away from the habit of lying.


Johan

[dove]

2 minutes ago, Thesauron said:

You can definitely be intelligent and 'uncouth'. Many studies show that young children who are good liars are more intelligent with better memory skills (they are quick thinkers who can use information to their advantage, which indicates a highly developed brain). Probably so, but as times goes, their intelligence, if used correctly, will steer them away from the habit of lying.


Johan

 

That is true, you can be both. Many serial killers, et are very intelligent. Many use their intelligence in the wrong way.

What I was trying to say is that this study gives them 'permission' to use bad language without making them look bad because they 'want' to use bad language and now they can say this is what it means, they are smart when really they are not. They are just bad mouthed and like it that way. A truly intelligent person would see through this. It's really more a matter of the heart than the brain..

[Thesauron]

 

That is true, you can be both. Many serial killers, et are very intelligent. Many use their intelligence in the wrong way.

What I was trying to say is that this study gives them 'permission' to use bad language without making them look bad because they 'want' to use bad language and now they can say this is what it means, they are smart when really they are not. They are just bad mouthed and like it that way. A truly intelligent person would see through this. It's really more a matter of the heart than the brain..

Perhaps they are smart? But what is the point of that if they can't use their brain? You can be stupid and be a serial killer too. And you can stupid but good hearted. You can also be very intelligent and good hearted. One does not rule out the other. But if you are looking for signs of intelligence in mostly very young children, their vocabulary, and they way they use it, is a good starting point. As they grow older some will have learned to control themselves, some will not. Laziness is also a sign of intelligence, I believe, especially if it encourages you to solve problems in the simplest way possible. But laziness is not always good.

 

 

Johan

[dove]

24 minutes ago, Thesauron said:

Perhaps they are smart? But what is the point of that if they can't use their brain? You can be stupid and be a serial killer too. And you can stupid but good hearted. You can also be very intelligent and good hearted. One does not rule out the other. But if you are looking for signs of intelligence in mostly very young children, their vocabulary, and they way they use it, is a good starting point. As they grow older some will have learned to control themselves, some will not. Laziness is also a sign of intelligence, I believe, especially if it encourages you to solve problems in the simplest way possible. But laziness is not always good.

 

 

Johan

That's all true..you can be smart and bad, and stupid and bad. That is not my premise. Not ruling out one or the other combination. Think we're making this deeper than it really is, deeper than my original thought, which was, that people just look for 'excuses' to cover their bad behavior..and now they have one for swearing..but you may see that differently ..

Many people used bad language before coming into the Truth but stopped. That had nothing to do with their IQ I believe, but a matter of a good heart and obedience to Jehovah's law.

[Thesauron]

That's all true..you can be smart and bad, and stupid and bad. That is not my premise. Not ruling out one or the other combination. Think we're making this deeper than it really is, deeper than my original thought, which was, that people just look for 'excuses' to cover their bad behavior..and now they have one for swearing..but you may see that differently ..
Many people used bad language before coming into the Truth but stopped. That had nothing to do with their IQ I believe, but a matter of a good heart and obedience to Jehovah's law.

True. The inclination, though, has to do with intelligence. You may chose, and rightly so, perhaps, to not express yourself using swearing. That shows self control. But not having that inclination might show a lack of intelligence. Also, you would not need self control to avoid swearing if you were not inclined to do so in the first place.


Johan

[hatcheckgirl]

Living in a lower socio economic area, and with lower intelligence for sure, there is nothing but a lot of swearing used in our neighbourhoods to express their feelings. Life is very stressful when you're at the bottom of society, with little education or anything stimulating to feed the intellect except wrestling, football, or hair and nails and fashion for the ladies.  I just can't see the correlation of intelligence and swearing translated in real life.

 

My manager is very intelligent, and yes, though professional let's out expletives when talking about some failings of the systems, procedures or the customer's behaviours to us at meetings. I think it's frustration again in this instance. It limits your vocabulary to short familiar words for maximum impact that the common denominator understand. Is the study showing cursing shows intelligence? Or frustration shows cursing, even if intelligent?

 

Which is why Jehovah gives us tools to minimise a lot of what is frustrating in this system - most prominent is our hope of things getting better and our accountability before Jehovah. Do intelligent people feel accountable to anyone? Perhaps because they rely on themselves and their braininess to solve issues that they curse more? Since the future is looking so bleak, perhaps they reason why not 'eat drink and curse like the masses' for tomorrow we die.

 

I'm not sure of this.

[Adelin]

Well, I can tell from my life experience that "the best swearers I ever meet" were some of the most limited in intelligence. I'm not saying intelligent people do not swear, but generally, the ones swearing all the time are not at all characterized by intelligence. I didn't need any money to make a study ... just living around people 

I use this words when someone tries to impress me by speaking dirty: out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

 

"how can you speak good things when you are wicked? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"

[Thesauron]

Living in a lower socio economic area, and with lower intelligence for sure, there is nothing but a lot of swearing used in our neighbourhoods to express their feelings. Life is very stressful when you're at the bottom of society, with little education or anything stimulating to feed the intellect except wrestling, football, or hair and nails and fashion for the ladies.  I just can't see the correlation of intelligence and swearing translated in real life.
 
My manager is very intelligent, and yes, though professional let's out expletives when talking about some failings of the systems, procedures or the customer's behaviours to us at meetings. I think it's frustration again in this instance. It limits your vocabulary to short familiar words for maximum impact that the common denominator understand. Is the study showing cursing shows intelligence? Or frustration shows cursing, even if intelligent?
 
Which is why Jehovah gives us tools to minimise a lot of what is frustrating in this system - most prominent is our hope of things getting better and our accountability before Jehovah. Do intelligent people feel accountable to anyone? Perhaps because they rely on themselves and their braininess to solve issues that they curse more? Since the future is looking so bleak, perhaps they reason why not 'eat drink and curse like the masses' for tomorrow we die.
 
I'm not sure of this.

Even stupid people swear, believe me. But it's not true though that people in general swear because they have a limited vocabulary. Quite the opposite, actually. If you study language, you'll find the swear words are abundant and used in extremely inventive ways.

(Do stupid people feel accountable to anyone? Maybe, maybe not. It has nothing to do with intelligence.)

By your reasoning, swearing should disappear with increased economical assets and a secure lifestyle. But it doesn't seem to correlate. The intelligence shows when you use your extensive vocabulary, including swearing, to express yourself. But more is needed, like self control and respect (for yourself, God, and others) - which means knowing when to say what, what to say, what not to say.


Johan

[Thesauron]

Well, I can tell from my life experience that "the best swearers I ever meet" were some of the most limited in intelligence. I'm not saying intelligent people do not swear, but generally, the ones swearing all the time are not at all characterized by intelligence. I didn't need any money to make a study ... just living around people 
I use this words when someone tries to impress me by speaking dirty: out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
 

"how can you speak good things when you are wicked? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"

Probably some of the most intelligent people you know, know all the words, and if they lacked self control, they would use them quite extensively. Read Shakespeare, and you will find a very interesting use of language, and nobody would accuse him of having a limited vocabulary or intelligence.


Johan

[EccentricM]

I think the mistake is assuming people who swear a lot are intelligent based upon the assumption that they have a large vocabulary. There is a difference in someone who swears and someone who "knows" lots of swear words. This whole study is based upon vocabulary range. 

 

But an idiot could know all the swear words just because they live with low lives, where an intelligent person may not know many because he was not taught many swear words due to his or her environment, yet may have a large vocabulary in other areas, instead using other words to express emotion that are not swear words.

 

So, it's not intelligent people swearing a lot,  or that being an indication I'd say, but rather intelligent people have a large vocabulary which in this world would include knowing a great many swear words regardless of usage or not. But these studies promote the false idea that people who use foul language are mentally superior than those who don't. 

Edited August 29, 2017 by EccentricM

[Sophy]

How does swearing and being intelligent relate? I don't understand. 

[Thesauron]

How does swearing and being intelligent relate? I don't understand. 

It has to do with the use of an extensive vocabulary, which includes words considered as swear words. Intelligence is shown by illustrating that you can use that extensive vocabulary. What the study shows is that people with a high IQ is shown to swear more than those with a lower IQ. It is not saying that all intelligent people swear, as some also practice self control in their use of words from their extensive vocabulary. A common idea used to be that only people with a limited vocabulary swear, but this has no ground in scientific studies.


Johan

[Thesauron]

How does swearing and being intelligent relate? I don't understand. 

It has to do with the use of an extensive vocabulary, which includes words considered as swear words. Intelligence is shown by illustrating that you can use that extensive vocabulary. What the study shows is that people with a high IQ is shown to swear more than those with a lower IQ. It is not saying that all intelligent people swear, as some also practice self control in their use of words from their extensive vocabulary. A common idea used to be that only people with a limited vocabulary swear, but this has no ground in scientific studies.


Johan

[Thesauron]

I think the mistake is assuming people who swear a lot are intelligent based upon the assumption that they have a large vocabulary. There is a difference in someone who swears and someone who "knows" lots of swear words. This whole study is based upon vocabulary range. 
 
But an idiot could know all the swear words just because they live with low lives, where an intelligent person may not know many because he was not taught many swear words due to his or her environment, yet may have a large vocabulary in other areas, instead using other words to express emotion that are not swear words.
 
So, it's not intelligent people swearing a lot,  or that being an indication I'd say, but rather intelligent people have a large vocabulary which in this world would include knowing a great many swear words regardless of usage or not. But these studies promote the false idea that people who use foul language are mentally superior than those who don't. 

That would be a misunderstanding, but they are more likely to be intelligent, since, as this story shows, intelligent people tend to swear more than less intelligent people because they use their extensive vocabulary. So, this study promotes a correct idea. But you are not mentally superior because you know a number of swear words and use them, you are more intelligent because you have a larger vocabulary and you use it. Hence the observation that intelligent people swear more. So if you meet someone who swears a lot, the likelihood is that he is quite intelligent.


Johan

[Thesauron]

How does swearing and being intelligent relate? I don't understand. 

Intelligent people have a larger vocabulary and know how to use it.


Johan

[skipdaflip]

Satan makes people believe that only intelligent people swear. So in the End Days people will swear loyalty to Governments and put their trust in them, instead of Jehovah.

 

And the big horde will follow because everybody wants to look smart in each others eyes.

 

We will look like stupid people. And people will mock us. And the WT tell is not to expect that in these days many people will get to the truth in the Great Tribulation.

 

Perhaps it is me... but lately I see all kind of things change in this world that will certainly support Satan in has last action.

 

[hatcheckgirl]

40 minutes ago, Thesauron said:

Intelligent people have a larger vocabulary and know how to use it.

 

Nah, I'm not buying it.  Intelligent people using their larger vocabulary to swear more doesn't even make sense.  Yes, they swear, but swear more?

 

Studies can be skewed to show whatever they want it to show.  I can speak in multiple languages, but my swear words were limited in each language because my parents/relations did not swear around the children.  I picked up a handful of Greek/Italian ones at school, as you do, mixing with other kids who heard it being used frequently in the family.  Exposure and social context has a lot more to do with it, I feel.  And your educational experience will affect your vocabulary, so lower intelligence means you only learn to use a limited vocabulary, so use throwaway words such as swear words by default. Using swear words to express something is just as easy and interchangeable for them as using bad English or coarse expressions.  Education is lacking, their family and friends use English coarsely and resort to swearing to pepper their expressions.  I live next door to a very colourful speaker.  And by his own admission, he said his lack of education is what has kept him on the unsavoury side of society (he's a bikie).  Across from me lives a very vocal swearing single parent with multiple emotional/social issues, including domestic violence. Low socio-economic areas like mine only speak swear-ese.

 

When we see society degenerating, as Kim's comment above says, it shows we are just so close to the end.  Intelligent people have less of a reason to be swearing, except they do because of the vulgarity that this system breeds.

 

 

[AH173]

17 hours ago, Adelin said:

Well, I can tell from my life experience that "the best swearers I ever meet" were some of the most limited in intelligence. I'm not saying intelligent people do not swear, but generally, the ones swearing all the time are not at all characterized by intelligence. I didn't need any money to make a study ... just living around people 

I use this words when someone tries to impress me by speaking dirty: out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

 

"how can you speak good things when you are wicked? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks"

This is my experience also. 

[Alexa]

To all, probably those who are intelligent in academics not in life. Those who like to excel academically wanted vocabulary to express themselves in such not so life smart because they probably miss out much time learning what Bible says, that out of mouth the heart speaks...

Edited August 30, 2017 by Alexa

[dove]

My experience is that people swear for many reasons; anger, frustration, resentment, unhappiness and discontentment with their life in general, et. Some hurl these words at others to hurt or make them look inferior.

Nothing to do with their IQ or station in life..just inability to know how else to deal with things with patience, all the fruitages of the spirit.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Dove

[Thesauron]

 
Nah, I'm not buying it.  Intelligent people using their larger vocabulary to swear more doesn't even make sense.  Yes, they swear, but swear more?
 
Studies can be skewed to show whatever they want it to show.  I can speak in multiple languages, but my swear words were limited in each language because my parents/relations did not swear around the children.  I picked up a handful of Greek/Italian ones at school, as you do, mixing with other kids who heard it being used frequently in the family.  Exposure and social context has a lot more to do with it, I feel.  And your educational experience will affect your vocabulary, so lower intelligence means you only learn to use a limited vocabulary, so use throwaway words such as swear words by default. Using swear words to express something is just as easy and interchangeable for them as using bad English or coarse expressions.  Education is lacking, their family and friends use English coarsely and resort to swearing to pepper their expressions.  I live next door to a very colourful speaker.  And by his own admission, he said his lack of education is what has kept him on the unsavoury side of society (he's a bikie).  Across from me lives a very vocal swearing single parent with multiple emotional/social issues, including domestic violence. Low socio-economic areas like mine only speak swear-ese.
 
When we see society degenerating, as Kim's comment above says, it shows we are just so close to the end.  Intelligent people have less of a reason to be swearing, except they do because of the vulgarity that this system breeds.
 
 

Of course, it has to be backed up by several studies, which this is. Just because we don't like it does not make it less true. Example: We do not like kids who lie. Liars will not inherit the kingdom, and all that. Liars are not nice to be around. But children who lie well are nonetheless more intelligent than those who do not. This is because they imagine scenarios and manipulate their world to their advantage. Now, you might say studies like these are skewed (because the researchers are liars, or what not), but it doesn't hold up in light of all studies on the subject. Now, intelligence has nothing to do with morality - a moral person will know why lying is wrong.


Johan

[EccentricM]

11 minutes ago, Thesauron said:

Of course, it has to be backed up by several studies, which this is. Just because we don't like it does not make it less true. Example: We do not like kids who lie. Liars will not inherit the kingdom, and all that. Liars are not nice to be around. But children who lie well are nonetheless more intelligent than those who do not. This is because they imagine scenarios and manipulate their world to their advantage. Now, you might say studies like these are skewed (because the researchers are liars, or what not), but it doesn't hold up in light of all studies on the subject. Now, intelligence has nothing to do with morality - a moral person will know why lying is wrong.


Johan

 

So... You're saying children are more intelligent than Jehovah who "cannot" lie?

 

I think they are looking in the wrong place. They are grading intelligence just in the ammount of words one has or manipulative ability. 

 

Jesus never lied, but he had a perfect mind. Superior intelligence. Children might know how to lie, but not act upon it. It's the situation of a loud minority as it were. Hey all these people swear and lie, let's test them. But they don't look at the people in depth who do not do those things on the same scale in comparison to the statistics of people who do.

 

There are also areas of intelligence. One might be a great mathematician, another a scientist. These people are just "intelligent at swearing and manipulating." 

 

I could argue with a good degree of articulation of why swearing was degrading to a person who knew 1000000 swear words, in reply he says; "Yeah well @**%#".

 

Clever...

Edited August 30, 2017 by EccentricM

[Thesauron]

My experience is that people swear for many reasons; anger, frustration, resentment, unhappiness and discontentment with their life in general, et. Some hurl these words at others to hurt or make them look inferior.
Nothing to do with their IQ or station in life..just inability to know how else to deal with things with patience, all the fruitages of the spirit.

Inability to deal with your emotions usually makes you angry or externalising. When you can't express yourself, you risk becoming violent. This has more to do with education and upbringing than anything else, and is a major problem for boys being taught to be 'manly'. Intelligent people can make full use of their extensive vocabulary (or chose not to) - less intelligent people cannot.

In fact, hurling a word at someone expecting a reaction has very much to do with intelligence. You know what effect a word will create, and you use it to your advantage. Like a tool. A person with high intelligence gets this, it has very little to do with your level of education.


Johan

[dove]

15 minutes ago, Thesauron said:

In fact, hurling a word at someone expecting a reaction has very much to do with intelligence. You know what effect a word will create, and you use it to your advantage. Like a tool. A person with high intelligence gets this, it has very little to do with your level of education.


Johan

I personally know people who hurl abusive words at others all the time and they are quite un-intelligent; even a dog knows when he bites you that it hurts...