One In Every 13 Words On Twitter Is The Kind We Can’t Use In This Post

So that’s what those birds are saying! (petesimon)

Scientific research is the most fun when it can tell us something about our f*&%@*# selves. Oh, pardon me, I was just writing as one might on Twitter, where apparently one in every 13 words is the kind we can’t use in polite company, much less in this post. Hi, Mom!

Swear words your mother would most definitely have washed your mouth out with are all the rage over on Twitter, according to researchers at Wright State University in Ohio, in a new study.

There’s a favorite of those 13, of course, reports the New York Daily News, and it’s the one that starts with an “f” and rhymes with “Watch-out-for-that-flying-thing-you-better-duck.”

Then of course, there’s the “s” word, the “a” word that is actually ass, which we can type here, actually.

The researchers looked a random one-month sample of 51 million tweets — only in English — from 14 million users. Using those tweets they pulled together swears, taking into account Internet variations of swears that substitute symbols like “@” for a letter. Because then you’re being nice instead of naughty, obviously.

The most popular days to swear like a sailor are Mondays (tell me about it), Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Apparently the looming weekend makes everyone a lot happier, go figure.

“Because of social media, people don’t see each other. They can say things they wouldn’t say in the physical world,” the paper’s lead author says.”

And as for the kinds of people bleeping up a storm — men are more likely to have pottymouths than women, but yet both genders will more often use curse words when speaking to someone of the same gender.

This doesn’t mean we’re all a bunch of cranky brats, however, because you could be just like, “I effing love cheese so effing much!” and that would be a happy, positive thing. Also a true one.

You can follow MBQ on Twitter where she won’t offend your mother with her language (well, not too often): @marybethquirk

Twitter users let the swear words fly: study [New York Daily News]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist