Swearing
posted in - Medical Updates, - Vagus |Perhaps we as a nation should encourage the use of more ahem, ‘flowery’ language?
This was published in the journal NeuroReport recently.
Swearing as a response to pain.
Stephens R, Atkins J, Kingston A.
School of Psychology, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, UK. r.stephens@psy.keele.ac.ukAlthough a common pain response, whether swearing alters individuals’ experience of pain has not been investigated. This study investigated whether swearing affects cold-pressor pain tolerance (the ability to withstand immersing the hand in icy water), pain perception and heart rate. In a repeated measures design, pain outcomes were assessed in participants asked to repeat a swear word versus a neutral word. In addition, sex differences and the roles of pain catastrophising, fear of pain and trait anxiety were explored. Swearing increased pain tolerance, increased heart rate and decreased perceived pain compared with not swearing. However, swearing did not increase pain tolerance in males with a tendency to catastrophise. The observed pain-lessening (hypoalgesic) effect may occur because swearing induces a fight-or-flight response and nullifies the link between fear of pain and pain perception.
Perhaps the next step is to see if swearing in certain dialects or languages have better pain control effects? 
Perhaps I’m biased, but I always thought the very creative combinations (you know what I mean!) of the Cantonese swear words would beat anything the English language has to offer, and probably would even make a drunk pirate blush!
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July 14th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Gee I have a headache. FRAK!! Now I feel better.
July 15th, 2009 at 1:45 am
Some might argue that unless you’re a Viper pilot, or have a Cylon megababe as your girlfriend, that doesn’t exactly qualify as swearing