WTF? Swearing Helps with Pain Tolerance?

In another important life lesson they forgot to teach us in school, studies show that swearing can actually help with pain tolerance. (On that note, do sailors have high pain tolerance?) According to research by Olly Robertson and Richard Stephens, there is a correlation between swearing and pain, as reported by The Washington Post. 

In one of their studies, the two researchers (not all heroes wear capes) have also managed to link swearing with hypoalgesia, which is a reduction in pain that occurs during exercise. Their studies have also concluded that people who used “conventional” swear words after an injury increase their pain threshold up to 32% and their pain tolerance to 33%. Conventional swear words include s--- and f---. Using kid-friendly swear words such as “fudge” or “dang it!” does not have the same effect.  

Stephens mentioned that the correlation between the two was likely because when we swear, our body responds to a “fight or flight” situation. Our heart rate goes up, and we experience a surge of adrenaline. Robertson and Stephens also noted that it works even if we swear in another language, after conducting research with Japanese speakers. 

In an experiment conducted by Keene University (via the Foot & Ankle Institute), a group of potty-mouthed participants were able to keep their hands submerged in a bucket of ice water for 40 seconds longer compared to those who don’t swear. 

The Washington Post also interviewed Samford University professor and physical therapist Nick Washmuth who said to use a swear word we “feel powerful” the next time we are in pain, but if no creative swear word comes to mind, the oldie but goodie f-word is “considered one of the most powerful swear words out there.” He added, “Swear at a steady pace once a second to once every three seconds, at a normal speech volume.” 

Many other studies are being conducted on this, including one by Washmuth, which noted, “We need to better understand those factors and how they play a role to be able to prescribe swearing in a medical sense, in a clinical sense.” Imagine going to the doctor and them prescribing you to drop 10 f-bombs before lunch.

So, the next time you step on a Lego, stub your toe, or bump into the table’s corner, feel free to let those colorful words fly. And if someone calls you out for having a sailor’s mouth, tell them that swearing is a free pain reliever—and it's based on facts.