Study Finds Swearing Can Relieve Pain
Posted on April 18, 2011
The Telegraph reports on a study by scientists at Keele University that found swearing can reduce pain.
In the ridiculous experiment, student volunteers were required to put their hand in a bucket of ice water. They then were told to either swear repeatedly or utter nonsense phrases.
The students were able to keep their hand in the icy water longer when they were swearing than when they uttered nonsense words. The researchers also found the swearing was much more effective with students who normally did not swear much.
The researchers believe the swearing may triggger both emotional and physical responses that enable students to resist pain longer. You can't swear indefinitely - and the effects of swearing would diminish over time - so it really isn't a great pain battling strategy.
Note: This appears to have been either a recycled article about the study or the second time the experiement has been conducted. There was also an article out about this study in 2009. If the experiment is being repeated, the reason could be that the researchers enjoy making students put their hands in buckets of ice water and curse. The next time this experiment is conducted we want video.