Are swear words as potent in other languages as they are in English?

My friend speaks Spanish, and often swears in Spanish, and when he does the language seems more casual for lack of a better word. I did a bit of research (I speak absolutely no Spanish) and it seems that words for "fuck" seem rather fluid. This made me think that maybe they don't pose the same gravity that "fuck" does in English. This makes me wonder if swearing isn't as big of a deal in other languages.

In American English "fuck", and other swear words are typically rather strong, and can be highly unprofessional and inappropriate in some contexts. Perhaps this has to do with our Puritan history?