Vulpix
07-15-2009, 09:44 AM
Why an outburst of F-words can help reduce pain (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1199138/Why-F-word-outburst-reduce-pain-study-says.html;jsessionid=FB3F017F072F83068107F13745389 B8F)
Daily Mail: Even the most mild-mannered of individuals have been known to utter the odd expletive in moments of intense pain.
Now it seems they have the perfect excuse.
Swearing helps reduce pain, according to new research.
A study of responses to pain found that people who cursed in response to pain could cope with being hurt for nearly 50 per cent longer than their clean-speaking peers.
When they started their research, experts at Keele University's School of Psychology thought that cursing would lower pain tolerance.
But after monitoring the reactions of 64 volunteers, stunned research leader Dr Richard Stephens and colleagues John Atkins and Andrew Kingston found that swearing actually had a beneficial effect.
Last night Dr Stephens told how he came up with the idea for the study after blurting out a swear word when he accidentally hit his thumb with a hammer as he built a shed in his garden.
The 64 undergraduates were subjected to a gruelling ice water test to see how the cursing affected their pain tolerance.
First they had to submerge their hand in a tub of ice water for as long as possible while repeating a swearword of their choice.
Then they repeated the exercise - but using a word they would choose to describe a table.
Despite initial expectations, researchers found volunteers could keep their hands in ice for longer when repeating the swear word.
On average, the students could put up with the pain for nearly two minutes when swearing. By contrast when they refrained from using expletives they could only endure the ice for one minute and 15 seconds.
Researchers believe swearing has a pain-reducing effect because it triggers the body's natural fight-or-flight response.
They suggest that the accelerated heart rates of the volunteers repeating the swearword indicates an increase in aggression, in a classic fight-or-flight response of downplaying being hurt in favour of a more pain-tolerant machismo.
Dr Stephens said it was clear the swearing triggered both an emotional and a physical response.
'We are not sure why swearing works like this, but when it happens it's accompanied by an increase in heart rate,' he said.
'It could be the aggression of swearing, the machismo, makes you more pain resistant.'
While surprised by the results he added: 'It might explain why the centuries-old practice of cursing developed and still persists today.'
For those who think that the results may give a green card to turning the air blue, Dr Stephens did, however, have a word of warning.
'If they want to use this pain-lessening effect to their advantage they need to do less casual swearing and only do it when they really need it.'
Rohan Byrt, spokesman for the Casual Swearing Appreciation Society, said he thought the study was the first time swearing's benefits had been proved.
He said:'"I've always thought that swearing does have some real therapeutic merit.
'Even for those who consider themselves clean spoken, the odd swear word will just slip out. For me, it's almost a natural instinct, a gut reaction'
Daily Mail: Even the most mild-mannered of individuals have been known to utter the odd expletive in moments of intense pain.
Now it seems they have the perfect excuse.
Swearing helps reduce pain, according to new research.
A study of responses to pain found that people who cursed in response to pain could cope with being hurt for nearly 50 per cent longer than their clean-speaking peers.
When they started their research, experts at Keele University's School of Psychology thought that cursing would lower pain tolerance.
But after monitoring the reactions of 64 volunteers, stunned research leader Dr Richard Stephens and colleagues John Atkins and Andrew Kingston found that swearing actually had a beneficial effect.
Last night Dr Stephens told how he came up with the idea for the study after blurting out a swear word when he accidentally hit his thumb with a hammer as he built a shed in his garden.
The 64 undergraduates were subjected to a gruelling ice water test to see how the cursing affected their pain tolerance.
First they had to submerge their hand in a tub of ice water for as long as possible while repeating a swearword of their choice.
Then they repeated the exercise - but using a word they would choose to describe a table.
Despite initial expectations, researchers found volunteers could keep their hands in ice for longer when repeating the swear word.
On average, the students could put up with the pain for nearly two minutes when swearing. By contrast when they refrained from using expletives they could only endure the ice for one minute and 15 seconds.
Researchers believe swearing has a pain-reducing effect because it triggers the body's natural fight-or-flight response.
They suggest that the accelerated heart rates of the volunteers repeating the swearword indicates an increase in aggression, in a classic fight-or-flight response of downplaying being hurt in favour of a more pain-tolerant machismo.
Dr Stephens said it was clear the swearing triggered both an emotional and a physical response.
'We are not sure why swearing works like this, but when it happens it's accompanied by an increase in heart rate,' he said.
'It could be the aggression of swearing, the machismo, makes you more pain resistant.'
While surprised by the results he added: 'It might explain why the centuries-old practice of cursing developed and still persists today.'
For those who think that the results may give a green card to turning the air blue, Dr Stephens did, however, have a word of warning.
'If they want to use this pain-lessening effect to their advantage they need to do less casual swearing and only do it when they really need it.'
Rohan Byrt, spokesman for the Casual Swearing Appreciation Society, said he thought the study was the first time swearing's benefits had been proved.
He said:'"I've always thought that swearing does have some real therapeutic merit.
'Even for those who consider themselves clean spoken, the odd swear word will just slip out. For me, it's almost a natural instinct, a gut reaction'