2 hours ago
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It may not be in keeping with the festive spirit, but if you find yourself dropping the F-word while wrestling a Christmas tree up a flight of stairs, scientists say you could be on to something. A study has found that swearing can enhance physical performance by lowering inhibitions and pushing the brain into a “flow state”.
“In many situations, people hold themselves back – consciously or unconsciously – from using their full strength,” said Dr Richard Stephens, a psychologist at Keele University who led the research. “Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, confident and less distracted, and go for it a little more.”
Previous research found that swearing could increase strength and pain tolerance in tests where participants repeated swearwords while pushing themselves to the limit, such as cycling at maximum effort or holding a hand in icy water. Researchers initially hypothesised that swearing triggered a “fight or flight” response but found no supporting evidence, such as an increased heart rate.
Instead, the latest research suggests swearing triggers a state of disinhibition. “By swearing, we throw off social constraint and allow ourselves to push harder,” said Stephens.
To test this, the researchers ran two experiments involving 192 people. In each, participants were asked to repeat either an expletive of their choice or a neutral word every two seconds while performing chair pushups. After completing the exercise, they answered questions about their mental state during the task.
Their answers suggested that swearing boosted self-confidence, improved psychological “flow” and distracted them from the task – important aspects of disinhibition. Confirming earlier findings, the researchers found that swearing increased the length of time people could maintain a chair pushup by 11%.
“These findings help explain why swearing is so commonplace,” said Stephens. “Swearing is literally a calorie-neutral, drug-free, low-cost, readily available tool at our disposal for when we need a boost in performance.”
Stephens said the power of swearwords was likely to lie in their taboo nature. His team is investigating whether more offensive language produces greater physical gains, in a “dose-response” trial that will test how long participants can tolerate holding their hand in icy water while repeating either mild or strong swearwords.
The team is also exploring whether the confidence boost associated with swearing could help in other contexts, such as public speaking or making a romantic approach.
“There are lots of situations where hesitancy might be to our detriment,” said Stephens. “You could go into a quiet room, go for it swearing for a minute and then go out and give your talk. I bet people do it already.”
However, he cautioned that swearing was not an entirely risk-free strategy. “You’re never quite sure when you use a swearword how it’s going to land,” he said. “You have to know your audience and who is around. You could land yourself in hot water if you swear inappropriately.”
The findings are published in the journal American Psychologist.
