Excessive cursing can relieve pain

Cursing - a tool that is anchored in our biology?

Hand on heart - who has not escaped a loud curse, if you have injured yourself at work, in the household or in the garden, pushed your head or shin or got your fingers pinched? This may not be the fine English style, but British researchers at Keele University have shown in several studies that loud cursing can be pain-relieving and makes them stronger. The language cursed does not matter. If you believe the scientists, it is advisable to let pain out loud rather than to endure quietly.

The study leader Already in 2009, Richard Stephens published a study that showed that physical pain can be better tolerated by cursing loudly. So subjects could hold their hand up to 44 seconds longer in ice-cold water, if they were allowed to use curse words. According to the researchers, cursing would increase the heartbeat and make those affected more aggressive. The then small-scale study referred only to Britons and found in the professional world little appeal. Now Stephens published an expanded study on the subject and presented the findings at the annual convention of the British psychologists society.

Cursing makes you stronger

The Dr. Richard Stephens study shows that loud cursing can make stronger. Stephens and his team did two experiments. In the first phase, 29 participants completed a strength test, during which they trained for a short intensive time on an exercise bike. In the second case, 52 participants completed a handgrip test. The results showed that the participants produced more power when they cursed in the first experiment. Likewise, they had a stronger handshake when they cursed in the second test.

We still have to understand the power of the curse

Although the results were clear, the researchers found no explanation as to why swearing subjects produced more force. "When we measured heart rate and some other things that we would expect to be affected when the sympathetic nervous system is responsible for this increase in strength, we have found no significant changes," Dr. Stephens. So why swearing has these effects on strength and pain tolerance remains unclear. "We still have to understand the power of the curse," Stephens continues.

Cursing in Japanese

The comparison with other cultures achieved similar results. In further tests English respondents were asked to say the word "Fuck", whereas Japanese participants were allowed to use the word "Kuso" (fecal matter) while plunging their hands into ice-cold water. Once again, the volunteers who cursed could endure the ice-cold water longer than participants who did not curse. That was true for both languages. English subjects were able to withstand the pain by 49 percent longer, Japanese participants held their hand even 75 percent longer in the icy water than those who are not aligned.

Further investigations into swearing

In a book by Emma Byrne was examined how football fans on Twitter are aligned. When they curse in tweets, football fans seldom bother with an opposing team or referee. In most cases, curses have been used to reinforce both positive and negative emotions with words like "fucking beauty" or "fucking painful". Byrne and her colleagues found that the authors of the tweets on cursing assumed that their readers shared and understood their context and associated feelings. Her book concluded that cursing actually has positive aspects. It expresses our emotions and enhances wellbeing. And as recent studies show, cursing can in certain situations even relieve pain and generate more body power.

All in all, cursing is a powerful and timeless tool that can actually change our pain sensations. A tool that is rooted in our biology, regardless of culture. (Fp)