Adam’s Journal
I saw a headline claiming that cursing can help with pain management. C’mon. That can’t be real, can it?
Dr. Scofield Prescribes
$%^&* yeah – it’s real!
To test how swearing affected pain tolerance, researchers had subjects – 67 undergraduate students – participate in what’s known as a cold pressor test. That involves subjects submerging their hand in an ice-cold bucket of water for as long as they can stand.
In this experiment, scientists divided the students into two groups: swearers and non-swearers. The researchers instructed both groups to repeat a single word – either a curse or an innocuous word – while holding their hands in the freezing water as long as possible.
The scientists expected to find that swearing was a “maladaptive” response – that it would magnify people’s perception of pain and cause them to tolerate it less. But, as is so often the case with science, the experiment yielded a different result than expected.
Those who repeated swear words kept their hands submerged in the icy water significantly longer than the non-cursers. And when the students were asked to grade their pain immediately after the cold pressor test, those who’d sworn scored themselves lower than those who hadn’t.
In other words, swearing seemed to serve as a sort of pressure relief valve, lowering pain perception and enabling people to withstand discomfort longer.
Subsequent studies have shown similar results, with swearing consistently being associated with greater pain tolerance. And in a study that looked at swearing’s effects on athletic performance, subjects were able to achieve higher power outputs on stationary bikes and grip strength scores when uttering a curse word than when they repeated a non-curse word.
Unsurprisingly, scientists have not settled on an explanation for why swearing seems to help manage pain and increase athletic performance. Their work has not shown any consistent physiologic factors that seem to drive these responses.
Rather, the effect could be rooted in psychology, with one scientist suggesting that swearing might tap into “deep and ancient parts of the emotional brain.”
I’m not exactly sure what that means. But I may give cursing a try on a jog one of these days. If anyone hears me, I apologize in advance.
–
Dr. Hal Scofield is a physician-scientist at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and he also serves as Associate Chief of Staff for Research at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center. Adam Cohen is OMRF’s senior vice president and general counsel. Send your health questions to contact@omrf.org.
