Does swearing make you stronger? Science says yes.
“A calorie-neutral, drug-free, low-cost, readily available tool for when we need a boost in performance.”

If you’re human, you’ve probably hollered a curse word or two (or three) when barking your shin on a table edge or hitting your thumb with a hammer. Perhaps you’ve noticed that this seems to lessen your pain. There’s a growing body of scientific evidence that this is indeed the case. The technical term is the “hypoalgesic effect of swearing.” Cursing can also improve physical strength and endurance, according to a new paper published in the journal American Psychologist.

As previously reported, co-author Richard Stephens, a psychologist at Keele, became interested in studying the potential benefits of profanity after noting his wife’s “unsavory language” while giving birth and wondered if profanity really could help alleviate pain. “Swearing is such a common response to pain. There has to be an underlying reason why we do it,” Stephens told Scientific American after publishing a 2009 study that was awarded the 2010 Ig Nobel Peace Prize. //

The team followed up with a 2011 study showing that the pain-relief effect works best for subjects who typically don’t swear that often, perhaps because they attach a higher emotional value to swears. They also found that subjects’ heart rates increased when they swore. But it might not be the only underlying mechanism. Other researchers have pointed out that profanity might be distracting, thereby taking one’s mind off the pain rather than serving as an actual analgesic. //

UserIDAlreadyInUse Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
12y
6,810
Subscriptor
<psst> "Hey, buddy."
"Yeah?"
"You got a game coming up, yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Need a boost? I got some curse words guaranteed to boost your performance."
"Oh, uh...they check for that now. #!$@, $#!@, and even *&!%!! they test for."
"Yeah, yeah, but I got &!$#!!! and !!^%@$, virtually undetectable. You memorize these, pass the cursing check, and I guarantee you'll have the #!$@ing edge when you need it!" //

etxdm Ars Centurion
5y
315
Subscriptor
They need to study overuse versus occasional use. I've always thought a well placed swear word is far more effective than rampant overuse. I was recently waiting for a drink at a bar and some bro was literally using f*** every other word. It was exhausting trying to filter his speech to understand what he was trying to say.