Written in SCIENCE he
Say profanity It is not as bad as everyone believes, the stigma that these have”swearing” is linked to a lack of education, but there are times when the situations we face force us to resort to this type of high-sounding language.
The psychologist Richard Stephensleader of the Psychobiology Research Laboratory at the Keele Universityin the United Kingdom, carried out an investigation on the effects of profanity, in which he revealed that this type of language is beneficial by having an effect analgesic.
Through a study of 67 people, he found that big words help build stamina, as well as help them cope with stress. painindicated the specialist during an interview for CNN.
Stephens pointed out that swearing generates a stress response that activates a defensive reflex in the body, affecting the production of chemicals such as adrenalin and increases heart rate, breathing, which prepares the body to face adversity.
“That would make evolutionary sense, because you’ll be a better wrestler and a better runner if you’re not held back by pain concerns,” the specialist shared.
According to the study, the physiological reaction, called the analgesic response, “triggers an emotional response on the inside (…) that leads to a reduction in pain induced by the stress“.
In a text published in The Conversation, Professor Stephens exemplified his study with a test directed at a close friend who, during his bike ride, cursed at the most demanding moments, resulting in a restorative effect that helped him continue with his journey.
“Indeed, this research demonstrates that repeating a bad word during an ice water challenge produces an increase in heart rate, consistent with an excited autonomic nervous system, as seen during times of acute stress,” he said.
bike experiment
One of the professor’s experiments was named “Hell on Wheels” and it consisted of a rider gradually increasing the pace up to top speed, at which point a switch is activated that adds a lot of resistance to make the next 30 seconds of effort more difficult.
Participants took the test twice:
In the first case they repeated a swear word during those 30 seconds of high intensity and on another occasion they repeated a neutral word. Interestingly, the volunteers produced a 4.6% increase in maximum power (power exerted during the first five seconds) and a 2.8% increase in mean power when swearing. The results of this test provided information to the academic to advance his research, which continues until this year.
The psychologist launched a call for a new study “Uses and benefits of cursing”, on the page you can read the invitation from the Keele University team “we are looking for volunteers to participate in a study with the aim of expanding our understanding of swearing”.