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No pain, no gain, right? Actually, your favorite swear word really can help you fight through painful stuff, a new study shows.
Next time you stub your toe, go ahead and let those four-letter words fly. Cursing actually does help dull our perception of pain, research suggests.
In the study, researchers from the UK's Keele University asked participants for five words they'd likely use after hitting their thumb with a hammer; the first word listed would be their go-to profanity during the experiment. (They were also asked to list five boring words -- ones they'd use to describe a table.)
Participants were then instructed to submerge their unclenched hand in a container of 41-degree water, and keep it there -- while repeatedly cursing -- for as long as they could. Before and after plunging their hands into the chilly water, their heart rate was recorded. And after they could no longer stand the cold temperature, they were asked to rate the amount of pain they were in, too.
What's surprising is that the researchers had thought that swearing would make the cold water feel much colder, lowering the participants' tolerance for pain and heightening their perception of it. "In fact, the opposite occurred -- people withstood a moderately to strongly painful stimulus for significantly longer if they repeated a swear word rather than a nonswear word," write the team, led by Keele University psychologist Richard Stephens, in the journal Neuroreport.
From the way participants' heart rates accelerated post-swearing, the psychologists believed their fight-or-flight response had been activated -- that may be because cursing can amp up feelings of aggression. (Think of a bunch of rowdy NFL players psyching each other up before a big game.)
Interestingly, women reported feeling less pain after swearing a blue streak. (Hilariously, the researchers report that cussing "did not increase pain tolerance in males with a tendency to catastrophise." That's the polite British way of saying some of the boys were total drama queens.)
Has your own research already proven that a few well-timed swear words can soothe a stubbed toe? Do tell.
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Mythbusters proved the same thing last season.
Here's a video. MythBusters aren't conducting studies, though, they're just doing this stuff themselves - four data points. I wouldn't call it proven based off the clip.
I've always felt a little bit better after accident-pain-induced cussing, though. Seems science backs that up.
Mythbusters also isn't sucking up research dollars. Sure, their sample was limited but it didn't cost taxpayers thousands, or is it millions, of dollars to conduct the research. And, the research is actually pretty pointless when you think about it. What are they doing? Recommending that we all swear every time we get an "ouchy"?
This happened in the UK not the US
Keele U's endowment isn't even that big - it's less than a million pounds. Doubt it cost a lot. Stephens is apparently getting 5K pounds to travel and speak at an alcoholism symposium thing in San Antonio from a UK Research Council, but that's all I could find in a cursory look at his page.
I don't get dismissing research because it costs money.
Study? You mean someone wasted money on a study? Tax-payer funded no doubt. I've known this since I was 5 or 6 years old.
This is actually pretty fascinating stuff. I remember watching a documentary which explained that swear words were somehow tied to a different part of the brain compared to other speech. It's like an "emotional shortcut" in the brain. This is why it's common for Tourette sufferers to exclaim profanities. Interestingly enough it's been found that deaf people with Tourettes will curse in sign language.
Pretty @!$%#ing cool.
Roscoe, more than likely the study will be used to help create psychological techniques for military and hospital personnel to help patients deal with pain and possibly even lead to new drugs targeted to speech centers to help patients manage pain. And those drugs might be less harmful that current drugs because they use natural, evolutionary pathways to manage pain.
The swear words are meaningless. It's the body's reaction to those words, which may represent a release of endorphines or some other pain blocker.
I initially thought that the Mythbusters episode may have been the inspiration for these Neuroscietists to conduct their study, because like you say, four data points does not a conclusion make...
I followed the link to read the abstract. (Did anyone else?) After having to dig for it because the link didn't go directly to it, I found that this paper was published back on August 5th 2009.
The Mythbusters episode first aired back on April 28 2010. Given the nature of TV production scheduling, I would go out on a limb and say that this segment was filming when the paper's authors were putting the finishing touches on their paper, in preparation for publication. Very nearly a case of parallel development if you will.
By all accounts though, not anything new. This story is One to Two years old, depending on how you look at it. Certainly not "new research." Additionally, to read the actual paper requires purchase or a subscription. This is the case in many science journals, but to cite one that not everyone can go off and read in a "news" article...
Not to mention that the link doesn't got to the paper, it goes to the journal's current issue.
Draw your own conclusions on that...
ok and who paid for this study???
"Interestingly, women reported feeling less pain after swearing a blue streak. (Hilariously, the researchers report that cussing "did not increase pain tolerance in males with a tendency to catastrophise." That's the polite British way of saying some of the boys were total drama queens.)"
This is no news for those of us who work. The author of the article seems to be using the study as a springboard to express her own deep seated misandry (hatred of males). Too bad MSN doesn't do more to weed out this kind of crap.
It's OK to swear, anywhere, my teenagers have proven to me...as long as you say XXXcuse me, but, first...or in am Emergfency, right after.
I'm sending this article to my Mom and Dad. Maybe now I'll get a little peace when something goes wrong around the house...
aaah...this explains my natural birthing experience without drugs ;)
I know cursing when I get hurt seems to help. :)
I've invented a few new words. The last time I found the table leg (immovable object meets unstoppable force), I not only invented some new words, I put them together in a sentence. I don't know if I felt better for it, but I didn't feel worse.
Whoever wrote this article is trying to get my mouth washed out with soap.
When I destroyed a tendon in my finger (it was facing another direction) and when I rolled my ankle in basketball, I was cussing up a storm because it hurt so badly. I'm pretty sure I even invented a few new words to use... I believe this study could have some truth to it haha! :-)
Sheesh, what a drama queen.
A-f**kin'-men, brother!
%*%*()@#($*)(&&U!Q++++???!!!!!(u*%)))*#)@)))@*))@!!!!+!+!@@@*%$*)(@*&$&&%)#))%)%)#))@)_@????>>><{{)@*#$#)(!!!!)#*%**)))#*$)@)#*)$))(#$*)#($@)#$@*$$*$*$*))!!!!!!!)*()(*)*))))&&%&%&%#^%@%!(!)!!+!!"!{????#(%)(*$#)(@*#%$.
Translation: Ouch
Makes perfect sense. Children cry because they haven't associated the cursing with emotional release yet. Over time, cussing replaces crying. Also explains why some women still cry when they get injured. Social standards tend to frown on a potty-mouthed female, so they still rely on crying as their release.
And I did all that without a penny of taxpayer money!
WHERE'S MY GRANT !?!
What if I cry and cuss and I am a girl? I cuss like a sailor when I am injured :(
And I mean injured like "OMG WE NEED TO GO TO THE ER NOW!" injured... not "Owie.... I got a boo-boo!"
Jaime, my daughter grew up helping me work on cars and motorcycles, so she is no stranger to bumps, bruises, and cuts. As military brat, can curse fluently in a couple of foreign languages when hurt. Like you, we are not talking minor injuries, here, either. She's as tough as she needs to be.
Sounds like the kind of girl I can get along with. I too am a military brat, but my dad got out of the service a few years ago and we moved back to good ol' Nebraska to help out with the family ranch. I've seen and experienced it all from getting kicked by a horse (which hurts really @$%#&~* bad) to putting a staple through my finger building fence. I am fluent in curse when the need arises and I would rather get on my horse to work cattle than go on a shopping spree like a girly girl. :)
-granted, there's nothing wrong with shopping every once in a while. I still like to look pretty most days, but others I would rather be outside working than painting my nails lol
Wonder how much this study cost, I guess the Government of any country will pay for any kind of study..Maybe someone should study the effects of using electric razors on the teeth, maybe they cause the problems with the large dental bills... Good for the denist but the user may get the bill.
HA HA HA HA HA! How true Dan. I couldn't believe someone had to do a study on this subject? It's obvious to me that someone who had to study this to confirm it as a fact has never passed a kidney stone, had their arms burned with 2nd & 3rd degree burns etc. etc.
When I passed the kidney stone, I invented new curse words which sounded like a language never spoken before. The burns I sustained started healing and I rubbed the burnt skin off myself with tears running down my cheeks and a simple "HECKY-DURNIT" just didn't cut it!
...at the present I have a compressed nerve that runs from my lower back, down my leg to my toes that feels like a gunshot wound and am working up a new list of unspoken curse words. But for the moment these will do...*%#^!@@@&*)*(+)*&% WHOOPEEE! Yes getting older is not for sissies!
I've know this for @#!! years
I was an E-7 (Gny Sgt) in the Marine Corps. With my repertoite, I should never feel pain ever again! (Of course, those around me listening to it might.)
What is your Major F&%$*!@ Malfunction????
So did Uncle Chris in "I Remember Mama" the 1948 movie - he taught his nephew Arne a few choice Norwegian swear words in the hospital for when the pain was bad, and when it was very bad - and it worked.
@@$$#%^^&!!+*&& me! I can show this to my wife and maybe she'll stop ragging on me for my post-injury profanity!
That explains it all!
Now I know I'm in pain every F$%#@$ day.
I wonder if this works on Pain in A$$es. Guess I'll try it out on my hubby. :-)
I'll never understand why people are bothered by WORDS--for they are just words until they're directed AT someone in a negative way.
In reference to words: excelent. words are all we have. do something nice also.
United-I really don't think anyone disagrees with you necessarily. The only problem with swearing in general is that it comes off as vulgar and/or disrespectful in the wrong setting, but I don't think anybody is going to have a problem with anyone else swearing a bit after stubbing his or her toe.
It is vulgar to some people, but in my eyes it just means we have a colorful vocabulary ;)
Um, I hate to be a bearer of boring news, but, Mythbusters did this already on their show. Old news MSNBC. At least you could acknowlege the prior study in this article. Yawn....#####&^%$ youse all !! :) :(
Actually, MythBusters was probably inspired by Stephens' research. Looks like Stephens' team published two 'Swearing in response to pain' studies in summer 2009, whereas the MythBusters episode aired almost a year later, meaning they probably shot it six months or less before.
MythBusters is a cool show, but they're probably not front-running neuroscientists. It has to be asserted before it can be busted, no?
Also, folks, you can curse on MSNBC.com. Turn off your profanity filter here.
Tyler is right. Mythbusters typically does their experiments based on studies such as these. They also do them on 'ole wives tales'. They show case there experiments on television to reach more of an audience. It is a great show tho.
Tyler and Tinkerfairie: You made good points. Mythbusters usually is basing their research on known or mythical factors. Thus, I acquiesce. You are right.
I still made a good point that the author could have acknowledged the Mythbuster reference considering the millions of people who erroniously hold the same mistaken belief that I did.
Last, I only swore in code to help make the authors' point. #$%@!
happy 4/20/11 to all... monkey@keyboard is smartfella ; ) .. i have a few choice words in my pocket heh!
Mythbusters is years ahead of this...
There goes the last vestige for a reason to have self control, degenerating back to animal behavior.
Animals mostly don't curse.
When I accidentally stepped on my dog's tail, I am sure that was cussing I heard.
No, dogs just have to ruff it, howl, whimper or snarl. Many things, even rabbits, screech as others wale. And then there is all the silent suffering, so loud, yet all refuse to lose any sleep over THAT.
There are many things we have "known" for years, but until they are proven scientifically, with reproducable results, then they are still anecdotal. From there, the next step is to find the mechanism, so it can be used deliberately. Having actually broken a toe by accidentally kicking my daughter's toy box one night, I can attest to the value of some energetic cursing, but it always makes me smile when the scientists verify my less-than-scientific observations. As for those who find such a thing so offensive, what can we expect when others condemn any belief system that does not agree with their own, even when that system does them no personal harm? They demand that your acts and words meet with their approval- think of a less-violent form of Taliban-like thinking.
Wait...are you condeming someone's belief system regarding swearing because you don't agree with it? Hmmm...
Absolutely not. Each person is welcome to his or her beliefs. I merely feel that a person should not be made to conform to another's beliefs. I will not deliberately offend another person, but I do find it annoying that others feel so good about condemning the beliefs of others who do them no harm. So long as I confine such speech to moments of great stress, what harm is it to others?
You're right about that. I don't like it when people swear in public (happens here at work all the time), but I am not going to try to force people to not swear. Instead I could either talk politely to that person (or people), or just ignore it. I teach my kids that it's wrong. It's for people who are not bright enough to come up with something society deems more appropriate. Words have meaning - we must be careful with what we say. That is something a lot of different "belief systems" agree with.
And if someone else wants to get offended and spout off, so be it. People are offended by the mere mention of Jesus, but I'm not going to stop saying it.
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus...
I feel I've finally been vindicated.
Take a number and stand in line with pride, men have been doing this for millenia!!
Men? I believe the first curse words were from women in labor................................
Slow news day?
Ever hit your finger with a hammer? You know why you cuss now....
Is this why Jesus gave up carpentry?
I have a feeling this only works with people who normally swear. I hardly swear, and would therefore think that my mind would use other ways to dull the pain. In other words, I think we are conditioned to ease paiin by swearing.
The next thing I want them to study is why when you curse are you immediately able to find an object you were looking for while in fact you had already looked in the very place the said item was to begin with.
16 deleted, Nicole-303817 with a political derail.
You're suspended for a day for violating #4 of the Code of Honor. Post on-topic.
Anyone can let the profanity flow when pain or anger hits. A real man cares what comes out of his mouth and is always in control of his speach & able to make his point without spewing a bunch of filth. Semper Phi. Steve Smith
Amen!
Oh, get over yourselves.
And it's "Semper Fi" dude.
So much for people who don't swear being more intelligent and/or educated.
Ah yes...ALL people who don't whatever are one way...very nice.
I guess Mormans will have to suffer more physical discomfort. Unless "H-E-double chopsticks!" will work.
Good point, although I'm a mormon and I swear like a sailor when I stub my toe or otherwise hurt myself. Our religion isn't THAT restrictive.
Would like to see the full study and not just a MSNBC report on it. My guess is that the study reveals more the cathartic effects of just expressing your pain than concluding that profanity alone serves as an anesthetic. Cussing is a foreign language to me--but you can bet that whenever I've hit my thumb with a hammer I let out some sounds that I think helped to dull the pain much in the same way that "@#%&" would have.
Tyler, I think Sophia Loren and Jack Lemmon covered it in the PLATE THROWING scenes.
@%*@!^#*&)!@#%$ (smash) @%*@!^#*&)!@#% (key-rash) @%*@!^#*&)!@#% (thud) @%*@!^#*&)!@#% (SMASH!) HAhaahahahahahaHAAWhawhaw HAhahhahaa@%*@!^#*&)!@#% (thud) @%*@!
^#*&)!@#% (SMASH!) more PLATE THROWINGHAhahhahaa@%*@!^#*&)!@#% (thud) @%*@!^#*&)!@#% (SMASH!) more PLATE THROWING
To bad I don't swear... and I'm not going to swear because there are other more effective ways to ease pain.. this was a stupid "study" -__-
Not stupid at all. It's not the words themselves that matter. It's the emotional association we make with those words, and their trigger on the brain's pain response. You can replace cusswords with just about anything. The point is to get the brain to start the pain suppression response. Pain CAN be managed without medication - THAT'S the REAL point of this study.
holy shhhhhit , i love this study
Oh my and you say Swearing can kill pain. But on the other hand it is when you use profanity and where. I say that because I have seen too many times that swearing at time can, instead of kill the pain Can get you hurt or even killed by others that react to you.
So what I am saying is if you are going to swear, pick the place and time that you won't be the one In pain later.
Don't mix contexts. Your reference is completely irrelevant to this study.
lies lies lies ILLUMINATI LIES !!!!!!!!!!!!
Sure glad this study was done in the UK and that American tax dollars did not pay for it. What a waste.....I continue to be amazed at what people will do studies on...
What amazes me is that you MISSED THE WHOLE POINT! See my post above - you're not alone.
If we put all Congressmen and Senators into groups and let them swear at each other, will our budget pains go away!
My Dad taught me to scream loud as I could muster, "for the love of GOD!", "Jesus Christ" and they always made me feel alot better. By the same token, we often asked God to damn the nail through my foot, the hammer that smashed my thumb and lots of other stuff too. Now and then, the hammers head would just fall right off! IT'S a MIRACLE!
I'm a believer, but you think I'm just kidding don't you? You'd be wrong!