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.

I just save it up.

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

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 feel like this belongs here.

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.

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 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 do not publicly swear, I live in a place where practically everyone does, I am young, all my friends do, but I don’t, mostly, because I like to be soft-spoken. I have publicly swore maybe less than 5 times (even these are when I am very angry, someone swore, and I just repeat how can you say ***). Plus this elevates even the impact of me saying something like “stupid person” (in my native language) as if I swore. I do swore in my mind, mostly from having it as a part of my vocabulary (I do know how to swear (pretty good) in 3 languages, and a bit in 3 more), but I maintain good filters, and just helps me do natural conversations, so I dont have to think of my statements when I say it in front of my friends, or elderly

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.

Not everyone is immune to swearing; I don’t see any point in causing unnecessary offence; and they contribute nothing to the meaning, except perhaps voicing a level of emotion which can be better expressed in other ways.

I suggest moderation and good taste in these matters

I feel like im the opposite from a lot of people in this thread. I very rarely get upset. Like, once a year maybe? Sure, some things annoy me, but they’re rarely worth getting upset about. I think most people see me as a “funny guy” thats easy to be around.

Now I swear a lot, like very alot. And its mostly for comedic purpose or putting that tiny bit of emphasis on something, usually opposite from what i actually mean. Saying something like “a fuckton” usually means i had 2 apples instead of 1, where if i actually had way too many apples i would be more descriptive about it and not swear. People tend to take things more seriously that way.

I think casually swearing can help with not getting upset to begin with while also being more expressive if used correctly. I feel like i can get emphasis on what i say and having some form of relief from just swearing casually, which helps negate the build up of annoyances and eventually actually getting upset.

I very rarely swear in an insulting manner, i find it way more insulting and effective to use words that are very “unharmful” for that purpose, such as calling someone a clown or gnome. In the right setting those are devasting. I dont think it translates very well to english, but just imitating a 10yo and saying “your mom” is also just insanely funny as an insult because of how inherently stupid it is.

I hear what I say and it feels unpleasant.
Also, I don’t like adding senseless* words in my speech.

* Unless it’s funny or sth.

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Used to swear a lot, still swear but much less frequently.

The effect of swearing is fairly diluted, they’re used so often they don’t really carry any weight when you use them. I find that there are typically better ways to emphasize a point, and using them more sparingly makes them more effective.