An irreverent and impeccably researched defense of our dirtiest words. We’re often told that swearing is outrageous or even offensive, that it’s a sign of a

In the vein of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat comes a fascinating and fun look at the new science of bad language. Did you know that chimpanzees can swe

Swearing, it turns out, is an incredibly useful part of our linguistic repertoire. Not only has some form of swearing existed since the earliest humans began to

An irreverent and impeccably researched defense of our dirtiest words.

It may be starred, beeped, and censored -- yet profanity is so appealing that we can't stop using it. In the funniest, clearest study to date, Benjamin Bergen e