> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://toodlepip.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Super-Sweary Fragilisticexpialidocious Or a Self-Help Guide to Not Giving a F**k - URL: https://toodlepip.co.uk/super-sweary-califragilisticexpialidocious-or-a-self-help-guide-to-not-giving-a-fk/ - Published: 2016-01-14T08:45:19.000Z - Updated: 2016-08-01T21:35:23.000Z - Author: Sam Michel - Tags: Cantankerism, fuck, nyr2016, swearing, thick of it, #6, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-23 15:06 Swearing can be good for your health. And happiness. It’s day 6 of my New Year’s resolution to try writing a post a day for 30 (working) days. To be honest, I’m struggling, so this might be an every-other-day type of resolution, but I’m hanging in there. You won’t be surprised to know this led to some sweary moments. In the past, I’ve been known to whip out [an expletive](https://toodlepip.co.uk/blog-2008-02-swearing-big-amp-clever-sometimes/) or [two](https://toodlepip.co.uk/blog-2008-04-swearing-big-amp-clever-part-2/) or [three](https://toodlepip.co.uk/blog-2009-10-swearing-big-clever-part-3/) or [four](https://toodlepip.co.uk/blog-2010-05-swearing-big-clever-part-4-sweariest-yet/). ## Not giving a f\*\*k In the extensive research for this post – yes, that does mean randomly searching for swear words on Facebook et al – I came across a new book. Sarah Knight’s “The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck: How to stop spending time you don’t have doing things you don’t want to do with people you don’t like” needs to go on the reading list.” Read [her interview in Idealog](http://idealog.co.nz/workplace/2016/01/declutter-your-life-not-giving-fuck?ref=toodlepip.co.uk). Starting with a popular post on Medium, [I Quit My Job Today](https://medium.com/the-coffeelicious/i-quit-my-job-today-d2adfe3c048e?ref=toodlepip.co.uk#.vwf31lox1), she channels the ultra-trendy decluttering guru of [Marie Kondo](http://tidyingup.com/?ref=toodlepip.co.uk) for her professional and personal life. And swears lots. 730 fucks apparently. Beyond the shock value, there’s some interesting ideas including four types of fuck not to give, > “…it freed me up enormously in terms of general feeling of calm. I was well rested, had extra money in my bank account, and that makes you a better person, it makes you a more pleasant friend, it makes you a more attentive parent, and it makes you a more genial co-worker.” A particular gem is the Should I Give a Fuck flowchart, which I’d be tempted to print large and hang on the wall were it not for the small people of the household. ![Should I Give a Fuck Flowchart](https://toodlepip.co.uk/content/images/toodlepip-wpengine-com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/screen_shot_2016-01-13_at_4-26-28_pm_big.png) Should I Give a Fuck Flowchart from The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a Fuck ## Science of swearing This isn’t merely wishful thinking, there’s actual proper, hard science to confirm a potty mouth can be a good thing. According to a [study reported in Scientific American](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-we-swear/?ref=toodlepip.co.uk), > “When swearing, the 67 student volunteers reported less pain and on average endured about 40 seconds longer.” > > “Swearing is such a common response to pain that there has to be an underlying reason why we do it,” says psychologist [Richard Stephens](http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ps/people/RStephens/index.htm?ref=toodlepip.co.uk) of Keele University in England, who led [the study](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19590391?ref=toodlepip.co.uk). And indeed, the findings point to one possible benefit: “I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear,” he adds. ## The ninja of swearing The master, of course, is The Thick of It/In The Loop’s Malcolm Tucker who creates elevates the sweary rant to a new art. **WARNING: very sweary and not safe for the office.** Of course, there’s a catch. According to the same study above, > “The more we swear, the less emotionally potent the words become.And without emotion, all that is left of a swearword is the word itself, unlikely to soothe anyone’s pain.” Bugger. *The post is part of my* [*2016 New Year’s resolution*](https://toodlepip.co.uk/i-write-a-book-each-month-you-probably-do-too-writing-for-myself/)*, day #6, to try writing a post almost every day for 30 working days. Here’s the*[*post that kicked things off*](https://toodlepip.co.uk/i-write-a-book-each-month-you-probably-do-too-writing-for-myself/) *and here’s the* [*full list*](https://toodlepip.co.uk/tag/nyr2016/)*. It gets easier, right? You’ll also find more of this and other stuff* [*@toodlepip*](http://twitter.com/toodlepip?ref=toodlepip.co.uk) *and on* [*Facebook*](https://www.facebook.com/sammichel)*.* Photo (cc) Fuck by [Jonathan Rolande](https://www.flickr.com/people/jonathanrolande/?ref=toodlepip.co.uk) on [Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanrolande/17342493915?ref=toodlepip.co.uk)