Emma Byrne's ‘Swearing is Good for You - The Amazing Science of Bad Language' |

At this month's Leeds Humanists' book club, we are going to talk about swearing.

Okay, let me be more specific. We will discuss whether swearing serves any useful purpose for human beings, other than letting off steam for a few seconds every now and again when life gets ever so slightly annoying.

The author of Swearing Is Good For You is Humanists UK Patron and Rosalind Franklin award recipient Emma Byrne. She believes that this mundane linguistic habit is a sign of empathy and can help increase productivity, reduce physical violence, and ease pain, among other benefits. Oh, and maybe it has something to do with humans being the dominant primate that we are.

Do these claims stack up? Is swearing really a force for good, for everybody? All of the time? Are there any other linguistic curiosities you think have been underrated, and why?

Join us for a fascinating discussion about language, psychology, and human beings being the way we are.

See you there!