Ever wondered why we (ok, not me, or you, but other, filthy folk) swear? Ever wondered why curse words have such power?

Steven Pinker (warning: article contains plenty of dirty words, although in a somewhat clinical, analytical setting) has the answers.It turns out, most of our “taboo” words originate from religion. For example, the ungrammatical “f*** you” most likely derives from the religious-based phrase “damn you.”

Pinker also explains why excretory and reproductive functions form such a large portion of our swear words. In an age of antibiotics and showers, it isn’t as obvious, but in an age without these amenities, such functions were the major carriers of disease.

It’s a really fun article - especially if you’ve ever wondered why swear words are taboo or why we have the swearing formulations we do.