All cultures have a set of shared values вЂ‹вЂ‹and social conventions. Labeling a person as stupid, dumb, or ignorant is an attempt to devalue his or her ideas and erase them intellectually.ДЈ. Since intelligence is a very precious value in most cultures, it is not surprising that many insults focus on this characteristic. This is to detract from the value and merit of the insulted person.Дў. Its goal is to undermine his worth by making him feel worthless, incapable, or insignificant. Many everyday insults focus precisely on highlighting the worthlessness of the person. This is how they discovered what were the most common types of insults they used:ДЎ. Researchers at the University of Michigan analyzed вЂњhighly evaluativeвЂќ personalities, those people who tend to judge the others and themselves in a rigid way. Therefore, insults are also a way of escaping from our responsibilities. It is pointing the accusatory finger at someone who, supposedly, is responsible for our discomfort and the generated situation. Insulting a person means giving the fault to him or her, whether he or she has it or not. In addition, insults are not only an outlet for emotions, but they also serve as justification. That means the more angry we are, the more offensive the insult will be. The insult is a primary reaction, a quick and easy way of venting. It helps us release tension and physiological activation produced by anger and frustration. In any case, the insult is a maladaptive way of regulating our emotions. In fact, insulting a person is a relatively common response when we believe that he or she has violated the social norms and values вЂ‹вЂ‹with which we identify.

When we believe that a person threatens or frustrates our plans, we respond by insulting him or her. Often, insults are also the result of a perceived threat.

For some reason, the situation makes us angry and we react by insulting the person we consider guilty of making us feel those unpleasant emotions. It is the other who does things wrong, provokes or disappoints us. Generally we insult convinced that the fault lies with the other. That is why Diogenes said that вЂњAn insult dishonors the one who utters it, not the one who receives it.вЂќ Why do we insult? Insulting is both the expression of an inability to maintain self-control and the absence of valid reasons with which to dismantle the otherвЂ™s speech. They do not contain rationality or argument, but rather slam the door on understanding and end any possibility of dialogue. However, insults are the lowest form of expressing a disagreement. In fact, the custom of insulting is universal and transversal to all cultures. Practically all of us have been the subject of insulting comments and it is even probable that on some occasion we have insulted someone.

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