HWN Suggests

Go ahead and swear—it’s good for your health

Yelling a properly timed swear word isn’t only emotionally satisfying—it may have real physical and psychological benefits. In fact, a well-voiced expletive might even help take you to the next level during a particularly strenuous workout. “In many situations, people hold themselves back—consciously or unconsciously—from using their full strength,” explained Richard Stephens, a psychologist at Keele University in the United Kingdom. “Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, confident and less distracted, and ‘go for it’ a little more.”

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  The Secret Power of Swearing

Swearing can be so satisfying that it can help us withstand pain. It can shock, offend and entertain. It can release tension or increase it. It can foster intimacy. What’s swearing’s secret? How do four-letter words move us in all the ways they do?

 Why You Should Swear Less

Swear words thrive on taboo – on being able to draw out a strong emotional response – and unlike your Victorian ancestors, who would need a hit on the smelling salts at any rogue mention of underwear, we’re just not as easy to shock. Take “shit”, for example, long-time bronze medal holder in the most offensive English swear words, now relegated to being an unremarkable synonym for the word “stuff”. That’s no way to treat a member of the Big Three.

Articles of Interest

Why Does Everybody Swear All The Time Now?

Is there anyone out there now who doesn’t swear? Is there anyone who doesn’t revel in vulgar language? You hear it everywhere and from almost everyone. When I was growing up in the 1950s and ’60s, swearing was the undisputed territory of guys. Guys who worked with their hands — construction men, plumbers and carpenters — cursed copiously on the job. Sailors cursed all the time, or so we were told. Sometimes a neighborhood dad would let loose a stream of bad words from the backyard when he was three beers in, but not often.

Curses! For Medicinal Use Only

Isn't it great when science justifies your vices? Never mind all the research on the purported health benefits of red wine or chocolate. My new favorite sin-rationalization study shows that swearing is good for you. It seems to decrease pain.

Do You Curse? The Crazy Thing It Can Do for Your Health

I reported on the, um, health benefits of swearing a while back, and now the topic is back in the news again with more reason to let an occasional naughty word fly...

Doctors swear that swearing is good for you: how a potty mouth can make you healthier

In June 2020, Dr. Richard Stephens and PhD researcher Olly Robertson published a study in Frontiers in Psychology that proved the connection between pain tolerance and swearing. The findings were astonishing. When participants swore during painful experiences—like submerging their hands in ice-cold water—their pain tolerance shot up 33% and they were able to tolerate the discomfort twice as long as those who didn’t swear or screamed out made-up words.

Does swearing make you stronger? Science says yes.

If you’re human, you’ve 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 you’ve noticed that this seems to lessen your pain. There’s a growing body of scientific evidence that this is indeed the case. The technical term is the “hypoalgesic effect of swearing.” Cursing can also improve physical strength and endurance, according to a new paper published in the journal American Psychologist.

Hell Yes: The 7 Best Reasons for Swearing

Our parents and teachers did their best to prevent us from swearing. Children of my generation used to have soap rubbed into their mouths each time they swore—a practice that is, of course, not to be recommended. Yet, even as adults, nearly all of us resort to foul language, often several times a day. And our parents and teachers probably did too, albeit (mostly) under their breath or behind our backs.

Is Cursing a Sign of Intelligence?

Foul language may be beneficial, but it won’t make you smarter.

Is Swearing Good For Your Health?

I will wrap up my thoughts by saying I’m not someone who swears that much but I like the freedom to swear. I like the freedom to express myself however I would choose. I tend to be a bit politically correct because despite the title of the show, I don’t enjoy making people uncomfortable. In fact, I strive to make others uncomfortable, even at the expense of my comfort.

Profanity Can Sometimes Be the Best Medicine, Increasing Pain Tolerance by ~33%

Swearing can actually lessen pain by eliciting a “flight-or-fight” response, studies show. Spewing a string of profanities signals an area of the brain known as the amygdala to release adrenaline. This flood of hormones subsequently leads to a soothing, analgesic effect.

Swear by it: why bad language is good for you

It bonds workers, sheds light on the brain and pacifies us. Emma Byrne on the uses and paradoxes of swearing.

Swearing Can Be Good for You, According to Science

The next time you could use a little burst of power—whether you’re biking up a steep hill or simply trying to open a jar of pickles—it might help to utter a few not-safe-for-work words while giving it your all. According to a new study, swearing seems to increase strength for short periods of time.

Swearing could give you a hidden physical edge, study finds

Cursing isn't just when you stub your toe or get road rage. Science says it can boost your physical performance

Swearing Is Good For You—And Chimps Do It, Too

Cursing masks pain and builds relationships at work. But if you’re a woman, letting a profanity fly can still raise eyebrows.

The Health Benefits of Swearing – WTF?!

Swearing – defined as speaking “specific, negatively charged, and often emotionally loaded terms” – violates our norms of both the sacred and profane. While polite society often reflects on swearing’s negatives, it turns out that there are some health benefits for the sender (but not the receiver).

The Many Benefits of the Occasional Swear Word

Cursing can promote social bonding, help us withstand pain and more.

The power of swearing: how obscene words influence your mind, body and relationships

Swearing was long dismissed as a topic of serious research because it was assumed to be simply a sign of aggression, weak language proficiency or even low intelligence. We now have quite a lot of evidence that challenges this view, prompting us to reconsider the nature – and power – of swearing.

The Science of Swearing

A new book explains the neuroscience of why we swear—and how it can sway our listeners.

The Surprising Health Benefits of Swearing

any of us try to suppress the urge to blurt out an expletive when something goes wrong. But the instinct may actually be useful: Research has found that using profanity can have beneficial effects on people’s stress, anxiety, and depression. In fact, there are numerous potential physical, psychological, and social perks related to the power of a well-timed F-bomb.

Why Swearing Can Make Us Sound More Convincing, According to Science

Not only could swearing be good for health, alongside being a sign of a good vocabulary, but it also appears to bestow people with stronger powers of persuasion, as a new study has highlighted.

Why swearing is a sign of intelligence, helps manage pain and more

Polite society considers swearing to be a vulgar sign of low intelligence and education, for why would one rely on rude language when blessed with a rich vocabulary? That perception, as it turns out, is full of, uh … baloney. In fact, swearing may be a sign of verbal superiority, studies have shown, and may provide other possible rewards as well. “The advantages of swearing are many,” said Timothy Jay, professor emeritus of psychology at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, who has studied swearing for more than 40 years.

Why swearing makes you stronger

Letting out a swear word in a moment of frustration can feel good. Now, research suggests that it can be good for you, too: Swearing can boost people’s physical performance by helping them overcome their inhibitions and push themselves harder on tests of strength and endurance, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.