If youâre human, youâve 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 youâve noticed that this seems to lessen your pain. Thereâs a growing body of scientific evidence that this is indeed the case. The technical term is the âhypoalgesic effect of swearing.â 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 wifeâs âunsavory languageâ while giving birth and wondered if profanity really could help alleviate pain. âSwearing is such a common response to pain. There has to be an underlying reason why we do it,â Stephens told Scientific American after publishing a 2009 study that was awarded the 2010 Ig Nobel Peace Prize.
For that study, Stephens and his colleagues asked 67 study participants (college students) to immerse their hands in a bucket of ice water. They were then instructed to either swear repeatedly using the profanity of their choice or chant a neutral word. Lo and behold, the participants said they experienced less pain when they swore and were also able to leave their hands in the bucket about 40 seconds longer than when they werenât swearing. It has been suggested that this is a primitive reflex that serves as a form of catharsis.
