Effects of Cussing

Various verbal communications such as cuss words, hurtful remarks, etc. can create short term desired effects in the speaker, but, while not creating physical harm, can tend to have negative influences on frame of mind, attitudes, etc. on people who speak and hear them. We can develop resilience against being negatively influenced, while modeling to ourselves and others attitudes/approaches of responding to things in a better way than making reference to feces, etc.

While generally applicable to some other types of communication, this particularly addresses using words with literal meanings of feces, sex, and/or religious concepts to communicate other things.

Background considerations

The literal/most original current meanings of the words are what they are.
In some cases, what qualifies as another definition of a word is a matter of how common a non-literal use has become. Concerning "crap" for example, the non-literal use of a rough word for feces ("crap") to refer to unwanted things/nonsense became common enough that definitions like “rubbish/nonsense” became listed definitions of "crap".
That wonderful, caring, reputable people cuss/smoke/etc. doesn’t mean that cussing/smoking/etc. isn’t better avoided.
“Releasing stress” is a figure of speech that is used in different ways but probably often represents acting on an impulse leading to a feeling that seems to offset to an extent for a short time some undesired feeling, but can be counter-productive and lead to more and not as well managed stress in the long run. Redirecting your focus from the problem itself to the best attitudes/approaches for dealing with the situation well reduces stress, is something you can get better at with practice, and can be more effective in the long run; while this approach takes a type of effort, it can lead to better outcomes for you and people you affect. (While there are clearly worse options than cussing, pretending that the only alternative to a bad habit is something worse isn’t accurate or helpful.)
What one hears and says can both have subtle effects on attitudes which tend to gradually/eventually affect people’s lives at various possible levels.
Having reached an age at which society/most people generally tend to give up on helping you avoid many negative choices and attitudes and such choices typically go unaddressed (except perhaps as it pertains to a specific environment), doesn’t mean that such choices are OK. (For example, people are less likely to try to convince a 50-year-old to stop smoking than a 20-year-old, but smoking doesn’t become fine as one gets older.)
Cussing doesn’t make one an adult.

Please consider if you cussing might influence you and/or others in the direction of some of the following

Influencing a less thoughtful approach in yourself and others.
Bringing up inappropriately whatever the word literally refers to.
A less respectful / wholesome atmosphere.
More of other disrespectful communication that doesn’t necessarily involve cussing.
Distraction from dealing with the situation in a positive/helpful way.
Tending in some cases to gradually establish in yourself – and influence in others – habits towards one or more of the following:

Being disrespectful in response to disliking something.

Being disrespectful more generally, in attitudes and/or behavior.

Using a situation one doesn’t like as an excuse for negative behavior / being disrespectful.

Agitated attitudes (reinforcing an impulse of agitation). While following (reinforcing) an impulse could in the short run be stress relieving, a long-run effect of cussing could be to gradually establish/reinforce habits of agitated attitudes and behavior (in the long run more stress) by reinforcing an impulse of agitation. (For example, if someone got mad in a checkers game and felt an impulse to dump the board and followed that impulse, dumping the board might relieve stress in the short run – and an impulse to respond likewise next time in a similar situation might become stronger.)

Doing something one feels is less than the best in order to be perceived a certain way (or to avoid being perceived a certain way) or to fit in with a group. For you (at least in your current situations) cussing might be sufficient. For other people you set an example for, in their environment occasional cussing isn’t anywhere close to enough to meet the same goal; they need to take street drugs, etc. to meet the goal of how they want to be perceived (avoid being perceived) and to fit in.

Giving up on trying to live the best you can.

Patterns/habits of using those types of methods to get people’s attention / communicate one’s level of agitation / etc., distracting from more helpful communication. (Various levels of misguided attempts/methods to get people’s attention / communicate one’s agitation level / etc. could be partly involved with a great deal of harmful behavior.)
The habit of not breaking a bad habit.
Influencing increased disrespect in society such as by influencing more agitated attitudes, and habits of dealing with things one doesn't like by being disrespectful, making problems more difficult to resolve.

Why you might “feel better” after cussing – and things you might consider in relation to those

Possibly in some cases it could facilitate a tiny momentary superficial thrill type feeling (or other desired feeling) related to showing contempt, being disrespectful, etc.

This could develop a habit/pattern of getting such a feeling from showing contempt/being disrespectful and the attitudes/approach related to it – influencing towards more of that type of behavior and attitudes.

It avoids the challenge of not following an impulse.

Giving in to an impulse to cuss re-enforces the impulse to cuss and more generally the general attitude/behavior impulse related to it. The long run matters more and not following an impulse to cuss could help develop the skills/attitudes for not following other impulses.

It avoids the discomfort of breaking a habit.

There are benefits of breaking a cussing habit. Also, the process of working to improve with accepting the discomfort of breaking a habit can be beneficial.

It might distract from an uncomfortable analysis of the situation. For example, if someone is driving badly, cussing focusing on how bad the other driver was driving and how much of a lousy driver (and probably lousy person) they are might in the short run be more comfortable than something like, “Sometimes I drive badly because I’m not paying attention or in too big of a hurry; it sure is disrespectful/dangerous; I need to drive carefully.”

The uncomfortable analysis the cussing can distract from could be helpful.

It can give you a feeling of being free from being ruled by a no cussing rule for yourself and/or by the standards that lead to it.

This can be dangerous and we are all ruled by something; we choose what we are ruled by. Being ruled by an impulse is being ruled. Being ruled by a desire to feel not ruled by a no cussing rule for oneself and/or by the standards that lead to it is being ruled. There might be some analogy to a teenager smoking with an attitude of being free to smoke not being ruled by living healthy, prudence, etc. with the irony that in so doing they begin to be ruled by a desire for nicotine.

Feelings related to one’s environment and attitudes (such as “fitting in” with a group, viewing cussing as an adult activity, etc.)

Cussing doesn’t make one an adult and doing things you don’t really feel you should do in order to “fit in” can be a harmful habit to start. (Besides, in many cases cussing might not actually make you “fit in” with the group even if it seems like it would, compared to being true to your values with a genuine respect for others. You can also be at peace with not having to “fit in” with the group, especially at all times in every way.)

Feeling that you have shown people who cuss that you don’t think negatively of them as you also cuss

Trying to show people that you don’t think negatively of them by doing what they do even though you have misgivings about it could be a distraction from and less effective than working on attitudes and behavior of more genuinely having positive regard for others and of that not being dependent on agreeing with everything they do. It also doesn’t necessarily show that you don’t think negatively of them as it is possible for people to think negatively of themselves – and genuinely having positive regard for others could mean not cussing. Also, doing what you have misgivings about in an attempt to show you don’t think negatively of people who do those things could influence the same with other things.

Reducing the harmful effects of cussing
When hearing cussing, a simple split-second type mental reminder that it isn’t OK, and avoiding an emotional reaction, could help to decrease the harmful effects of cussing by avoiding the spread of its use to you and avoiding the possibly broader impact on attitudes that an acceptance of cussing could have. You having an emotional reaction could increase the harmful effects of cussing because that can get you down (and reward people who get some type/level of satisfaction from your emotional reaction). This might have implications for how children are addressed concerning such word uses. It might be worth considering addressing such word use in a way that (1) helps promote a recognition that it’s not OK (for anyone of any age – it doesn’t become OK as people get older, like smoking doesn’t become OK as people get older, we just put more effort into helping younger people so we’re more likely to address it to them), (2) helps promote the distinction, applicable to other situations as well, between people and things they do that they shouldn’t do, such as between people who smoke and smoking, between themselves and bad choices they make, and (3) avoids modeling an emotional reaction.

To break/change the habit of cussing it might help to evaluate and determine your goals as they might relate to the matter, and then in the moment when conflicting goals arise, work to change your goals in the moment. Suggestions for some types of situations:

If agitated, immediately upon the situation happening work to change your goal from the easiest quickest way to offset an undesired feeling to a goal of improving at immediately changing your thinking/focus to the best attitudes/approach for dealing with the situation well, which can help improve long run outcomes in various matters of different sizes and types.
In social situations, change your goal from fitting-in, etc. to a goal of developing a genuinely positive regard for others not dependent on agreeing with everything they do and developing positive respectful resiliency, an understanding that you don’t need to fit-in in every way, and more comfort with not fitting-in in every way.
In speaking, work on changing your goal from the easiest way to get attention, etc. (such as making references to feces) regardless of other influences, to communicating in ways that don’t have the negative influences of using cuss words.

Also, allowing yourself to be at peace with the habit breaking/changing process.

For additional assistance for an adult, you could pay a dollar to whoever catches you first (for an adult who wants to quit their kids might eagerly help), and for younger people depending on age and situation, possibly a quick reminder/respectful request, no talking for one minute, sitting out, an allowance deduction, confiscated cell phone for x minutes, etc.