“Professor Frans de Waal said that angry chimpanzees ‘will grunt or spit or make an abrupt, upsweeping gesture that, if a human were to do it, you'd recognize it as aggressive’ in order to avoid conflict, rather than to escalate it. He continues that a ‘chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures, but just goes ahead and attacks.’ [Insults] are a part of life, and a world without them would be extremely different to ours to a degree which cannot be simply explained.”
Of course, this is in no way a suggestion to hurl insults in public; it’s a rude thing to do. But recognizing the fine wordplay in them, threats, and warnings online? That’s perfectly fine.
#24 A Sign I Found At A Restaurant Some Days Ago. Sorry For The Potato Quality, My Phones Camera Is Garbage
According to one study, swearing actually increased pain tolerance and decreased the perceived pain of people, as compared to those who didn't swear. One additional thing that the researchers found was that men who tended to catastrophize (i.e. those who saw situations as far worse than they actually were) did not benefit from these benefits.
At the same time, you've got to keep in mind that constantly living in anger is an absolutely horrible thing for your health. Constant anger can lead to various cardiovascular problems, metabolic diseases, as well as digestive issues! In short, you have to let go of your anger, sooner or later. Or your body and mind will suffer.
Meanwhile, if you do end up wanting to show off your verbal sparring skills on social media some time, why not consider using some old insults that have fallen out of use? You’re almost sure to confuse your opponents immensely if you call them a mumpsimus (someone who’s stubborn), a ninnyhammer (aka a fool), a milksop (someone who’s pampered), a lickspittle (that’s a suck-up), or a cockalorum (basically, a boastful, strutting, self-important individual). If they have to Google what you called them, then they’ve already lost!
Oh, and for those of you Pandas who are into fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons, here are two fun dwarven insult generators over here and right here. Enjoy!
