Scientists find that swearing helps manage pain (3 photos)

Most of us, after hitting our finger with a hammer or pricking ourselves with a needle, comment on the situation with a swear word. This phenomenon is absolutely international and occurs in every corner of the planet. At first glance, swearing in the event of a domestic injury is irrational, and we think it's simply a way to express our emotions. But it's not that simple, and scientists have recently discovered that swearing helps us cope with pain.





The scientific journal Frontiers in Psychology reported that Oxford University psychologists conducted an experiment involving 92 volunteers. During the experiment, these people dipped their hand in ice water and shouted curse words and two words of their own making.



As it turned out, when the subjects uttered curse words, they experienced less intense pain than when they simply shouted abstract, meaningless words. As a result, psychologists concluded that we swear when we're in pain for a reason, but rather as a natural anesthetic.

Experts concluded that swearing releases energy and reduces pain. However, made-up words that sounded similar to the curse words, oddly enough, had no analgesic effect. The human subconscious cares about the true meaning of words, not the fact that they're spoken—words must be profane, otherwise they don't work.



But that's not the only benefit of swearing. A year ago, American scientists studied the impact of swearing on productivity. They found that employees who swear perform better at their tasks.