Research shows，Cursing makes you feel better and relieves pain
The next time you stub your toe or bang your shin into the coffee table, cursing may be the best medicine. In fact, scientists swear you’ll feel better after uttering some expletives while experiencing physical pain, according to a Reuters article.
Cursing can have a "pain-lessening effect," according to research from the school of psychology at Britain’s Keele University, as reported by Reuters.
The men in the study who cursed were able to keep their hands in the frigid, 41-degree water for an average of 190 seconds, reports MSNBC.com, while those who simply uttered a PG-rated word could only keep their hands submerged for 140 seconds.
The women in the study experienced even better results, according to MSNBC.com. Although men’s pain scores dropped by just one point when they cursed, women’s dropped by nearly two full points.
Lead study author Richard Stephens attributes this to the fact that women swear less than men, in general. This means that when they do cuss, the words are more powerful to them, says Stephens.
"Swearing has been around for centuries and is an almost universal human linguistic phenomenon," Stephens said in the Reuters article. "It taps into emotional brain centers and appears to arise in the right brain, whereas most language production occurs in the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain. Our research shows one potential reason why swearing developed and why it persists."
Why the connection between cursing and decreased pain? That’s unclear.
"What is clear," Stephens told Reuters, "is that swearing elicits both an emotional response and a physical one, too. This response could shed light on why the age-old practice of cursing developed, and still is in existence today."
Perhaps one caveat should apply next time you decide to practice a little DIY pain relief: Refrain from cursing when the kids are within earshot.
