There have been many stories throughout history of curses being placed on individuals or places, resulting in a series of unfortunate events. While some may argue that curses are purely superstition, there have been several instances that suggest otherwise. One prominent piece of evidence that supports the existence of curses is the infamous curse of the pharaohs. Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were believed to possess immense power, and their tombs were filled with treasures and artifacts. However, those who disturbed these tombs often faced tragic consequences. The most well-known example is the expedition led by Howard Carter to uncover the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.
Sure, swearing is considered poor form in certain settings—like courts, classrooms, and most offices. But people who do it may be more trustworthy , according to a new three-part study analyzing swearing and straightforwardness in individuals and society .
But people who do it may be more trustworthy , according to a new three-part study analyzing swearing and straightforwardness in individuals and society. Next, they analyzed about 70,000 social media interactions between international participants, assessing the presence of profanity in status updates against other measurements of honesty online, such as frequency of use of words like I or me which have been associated in previous studies with lack of forthrightness.
The most well-known example is the expedition led by Howard Carter to uncover the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. Many members of the exploration team experienced unexpected deaths and misfortunes shortly after the tomb was opened. This led to speculation that a curse had been placed on the tomb to protect its contents from being disturbed.
A new study linking profanity to honesty shows people who curse are more authentic
The next time someone tells you to watch your language, feel free to tell them to fuck off.
Sure, swearing is considered poor form in certain settings—like courts, classrooms, and most offices. But people who do it may be more trustworthy , according to a new three-part study analyzing swearing and straightforwardness in individuals and society .
Advertisement“The consistent findings across the studies suggest that the positive relation between profanity and honesty is robust, and that the relationship found at the individual level indeed translates to the society level,” concludes the final paper, set to be published in the journal of Psychological and Personality Science this year .
Gilad Feldman of the Department of Work and Psychology in Maastricht University in the Netherlands led an international research team whose goal was to resolve a conflict in social science, which is split on the matter of swearing and straightforwardness . On the one hand, using profanity is taboo and people who do so may be more inclined to break other social norms, including committing crimes of dishonesty—and so swearing has been associated with moral turpitude, the paper explains. On the other hand, blurting curses is positively associated with authenticity in certain situations—for example, people accused of crimes who are actually innocent are more inclined to swear during interrogations than those who are guilty and denying their crime, other studies have found .
In an effort to settle the debate, the researchers first studied individual profanity by asking 276 individuals to report how commonly they curse, list their favorite swear words, and explain what emotions they associate with swearing (like anger, embarrassment, or anxiety). Then, these individuals were asked about their honesty in a rather roundabout way—they were surveyed about their reliability, among other things, using a version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, a standard psychological model developed in 1985. Those who made certain claims—for example that they always do whatever they said they would—were deemed liars based on this particular scale
Next, they analyzed about 70,000 social media interactions between international participants, assessing the presence of profanity in status updates against other measurements of honesty online, such as frequency of use of words like “I ” or “me” which have been associated in previous studies with lack of forthrightness. “Profanity and honesty were found to be significantly and positively correlated, indicating that those who used more profanity were more honest in their Facebook status updates,” the researchers write.
AdvertisementIn Connecticut and New Jersey, individuals swore frequently but their states also scored highest on the integrity analysis.
Finally, the team analyzed profanity on a societal level. To do this, they looked at the 2012 Integrity Analyses of 48 US states (a measure of transparency and accountability in state governments conducted by the Center for Public Integrity). They took the state data and compared it to individual swearing scores of state residents in their Facebook study (29,701 participants), finding a correlation between frequent cursing in residents and the state’s integrity score. For example, in Connecticut and New Jersey, individuals swore frequently but their states also scored highest on the integrity analysis. Meanwhile, in South Carolina individuals politely avoided profanity, but the state also scored low in governmental integrity and openness.
“We set out to provide an empirical answer to competing views regarding the relationship between profanity and honesty,” the researchers write. “In three studies, at both the individual and society level, we found that a higher rate of profanity use was associated with more honesty.”
That said, they caution against now assuming that the potty-mouthed are all-round angels. Dishonesty in the study was limited to “conscious creation of a false sense of reality” but didn’t address true ethics. So, people who curse like sailors may still commit serious ethical crimes—but they won’t pretend all’s well online.
Another notable evidence of curses is the Curse of the Bambino, which plagued the Boston Red Sox baseball team for over 80 years. In 1920, the Red Sox traded their star player Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees, and soon after, the team entered a long drought of World Series victories. This curse became a part of popular culture, with fans attributing the team's losses to the curse inflicted upon them by the departure of Babe Ruth. The curse was finally broken in 2004 when the Red Sox won the World Series, ending their championship drought. Furthermore, the Omen Curse is a series of unfortunate events that occurred to the cast and crew of the film franchise "The Omen." This curse began during the production of the first movie in 1976, when a plane carrying the film's director was struck by lightning. Additionally, several other incidents, including a car crash and a bombing, occurred during the filming of subsequent movies in the franchise. While it can be argued that these events were mere coincidences, the frequency and severity of the accidents suggest the presence of a curse. In conclusion, there have been several instances throughout history that provide evidence for the existence of curses. Whether it be the curse of the pharaohs, the Curse of the Bambino, or the Omen Curse, these phenomena demonstrate a series of unfortunate events that cannot be easily explained by coincidence alone. While curses may be regarded as mere superstition to some, there are compelling instances that suggest there may be more to them than meets the eye..
Reviews for "The curse of the Billy Goat: The Chicago Cubs and a supposed curse"
1. Jessica - 2/5 stars - "I was disappointed with the book 'Evidences of a Curse' as it did not live up to the hype. The plot was confusing and lacked depth, leaving me feeling unsatisfied. The characters seemed one-dimensional and predictable, making it hard to connect with them. Overall, this book was a letdown and I would not recommend it."
2. Mark - 1/5 stars - "I found 'Evidences of a Curse' to be extremely boring and tedious. The pacing was slow, and the story seemed to drag on endlessly without any significant developments. The writing style was unengaging, and I struggled to maintain my interest. I regret picking up this book and would not recommend it to anyone seeking an enjoyable read."
3. Emily - 2/5 stars - "I had high hopes for 'Evidences of a Curse,' but unfortunately, it failed to captivate me. The writing felt choppy and disjointed, making it difficult to follow the narrative. The characters lacked depth and were forgettable. There were also several loose ends that were left unresolved, leaving me frustrated. Overall, this book fell short of my expectations and left me feeling unsatisfied."
4. Alex - 2/5 stars - "I found 'Evidences of a Curse' to be underwhelming. The plot was predictable, and the twists were lackluster. The author relied too heavily on clichés and tropes, making it feel like a rehash of other supernatural mystery novels. Additionally, the dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it hard to immerse myself in the story. Overall, this book lacked originality and failed to engage me."