I have made a conscious effort to reduce swearing, which has brought my swearing down to near zero, both online and in real life conversation.

I have found that it streamlines the ability to make a point. A lot of swearing is simply thrown in out of habit, and if you remove it, all you do is make your point more clear without losing anything of substance.

I think for many people swearing is a “filler word” in the same way that “umm” can be. I have also worked hard to reduce my other filler word use. My goal with both of these is better articulation.

The next effect is that swearing is normally viewed as an extreme use of language for an extreme situation, and when you don’t constantly swear the times that you do actually conveys how notable the situation is.

If people know you as someone who doesn’t swear, when you do swear they will take note of what you’re saying.

I try to avoid it because it dilutes your actual point. They’re filler words, that are sometimes used for actual emphasis, but mostly just said out of habit and really don’t mean anything at all.

Besides, if you rarely swear, it makes it even more powerful when you actually fucking mean it.

I just save it up.

It’s like yelling. Nobody pays attention if you do it all the time.

I enjoy the exercise of trying to think ahead of the words coming out of my mouth so I can speak more concisely and clearly. It’s the same reason I do calligraphy.

Two reasons:

1. I live in Utah, where the Mormons are, and they get very offended by swearing. Although there are some ways in which I will definitely not accommodate their religious beliefs, I also think it’s healthy to meet other people at their comfort level (if it’s reasonable to do so). On the one hand, I understand the idea that we shouldn’t have to change who we are in order to make other people comfortable. On the other hand, I do think that if you take that idea too far, it can be a kind of antisocial behavior. When in Rome, as they say.
2. It has more impact if you don’t do it often. Think about a Quentin Tarantino movie. By the time Samuel L. Jackson has said “fuck” for the 157th time, you’re just used to it. The word doesn’t even stand out anymore. But now consider the end of The Princess Bride, which has one swear word in the entire movie: “I want my father back you son of a bitch.” WHA-BAM! Hits like a freight train every time!

For the follow-up questions, kind of the same answer to both of them. I feel like not swearing – or, swearing less – requires me to be more precise when I’m criticizing something. Instead of just saying that something was “like shit”, I have to give a more specific criticism. So that’s the change that it has made, and no, it hasn’t stopped me from expressing something.

Because swear words are, to me, an expression of anger or irritation. Swearing would therefore reinforce angry mindstates.

Yes, this was both very helpful for my mind, i’m happy and calm most of the time, and others appreciate it too and are happy to be around me.

It didn’t stop me from expressing anything. It just makes me pause to think of a better, kinder way to express myself, without making other people angry. It helps communicating with other people in a more friendly, helpful way. When i would be angry, it would be hard to listen to other people.

I don’t really use those words unless I’m in a state my brain cannot better articulate my thoughts and feelings. They are a crude tool.

Reminds me of:

https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/08/29/substitute-damn/

…there is one thing I wish you would do when you sit down to write news stories, and that is: Never use the word, “very.” It is the weakest word in the English language; doesn’t mean anything. If you feel the urge of “very” coming on, just write the word, “damn,” in the place of “very.” The editor will strike out the word, “damn,” and you will have a good sentence.

I save my profanity for times and things that are truly worth getting upset about. If you use it all the time, then it becomes meaningless. It just becomes background noise and you sound like a 10 year old all the time.

I was once being followed and harassed by a woman. I told her to “stay the fuck out of my life”.

Nothing came of it, but when I asked a lawyer about getting a restraining order against her, he told me that she actually had grounds to get an order against me, specifically because I had used the word “fuck” when I said that to her. That word, he said, could be considered evidence in a hearing that I was dangerous to her.

So basically, my primary reason to stop cursing is to avoid triggering special rules (not only legal, but corporate rules as well) that are activated by a person who says those key words.

Just never started.

I feel like this belongs here.

I had children. In my opinion, I had no choice. I was swearing so much that I thought it made me sound dumb but I couldn’t stop until I felt I had to. There are moments where I really miss it but only in intense frustration. Overall, I’m able to articulate better and think I’m better received.

I don’t (or at least try not to) swear around my ma. She doesn’t like hearing them and that’s enough reason for me. Of course every once in awhile I may drop one purposefully, for the little kick of annoying my ma. I share some of her sentiment though. In general I think swearing can be a bit vulgar/unpleasant, so I don’t necessarily try to swear at every opportunity, but I do when I’m not around her.

My parents both didn’t swear (at least not where I could hear them) so I simply never picked up the habit. I can swear if I make a conscious effort to do so, but generally only find reason to if I am quoting someone or something. And even that feels awkward to me.

As for expressing myself, I don’t believe I have much trouble in that regard. There are a ton of other words available and ways to arrange them. And if I truly need to express anguish, rage, etc. there is always yelling or screaming.