HOLY $#!!...Study says,"Swearing can actually help with the pain"...

You know how you yell and curse and say bad things when you drop a hammer on your foot or burn your hand on a stove?

No need to feel bad about it, says a 2-year-old study from the journal NeuroReport that's been making the rounds this week. Swearing actually helps reduce the pain you feel.Researchers from Keele University in Staffordshire, England, asked test subjects to put their hands in icy cold water, and see how long they could stand to keep them immersed. (This is a common practice to test pain, because it leaves no mark and does no physiological harm.)
They then had the study participants either say a swear word or a neutral word. They found that those who invoked foul language were able to withstand the pain better than those who kept it clean.
The researchers think that swearing induces a flight-or-fight response, and thus, "nullifies the link between fear of pain and pain perception."
This doesn't mean you should let loose indiscriminately, though. The effect worked best for people who did not swear often.

LINK

I think that everyone at one time or another has noticed that when someone gets hurt that swearing seems to be one of the first reactions. I always thought it was a funny thing that almost everyone has the same reaction when getting hurt or having a painful accident. I try to keep the swearing to a minimum especially in public but I guess if its going to help with the pain I think I'll start being more open to it. I know this will sound selfish but f it offends others then I guess too bad at least I'll feel a little better...Now I am actually looking to getting hurt so I can test it out because I never really thought about swearing being a helpful tool against pain I just thought it was something like a normal reaction for people to have...but I guess its your brains way of trying to take your mind off the pain...heres a video of how some deal with the pain...

reply to post by gdaub23
I have to agree that swearing helps. When I read ATS & see the stupidity of the NWO, elites, big brother, police etc. I swear like crazy & that certainly helps to releave the pain & stress.

I agree with the study that swearing in deed does help, but even a growl or a repetitive "Ow" seems to help as well.
I'm not much of a potty mouth anymore since having had my daughter and I have noticed that there are endless substitutions for swears.

Ex: Yesterday while moving her high chair the table top part of it somehow snapped off and got me prettttyyyy darn good on the outer bone of your eye socket. I felt fine after running around for a bit saying "omg". I don't think it's the word as much as it is the tone it's said.

It really does help. I know this from experience, but I can't proof it..

Please don't flame me ?

i know its a common accurance for me to try to use swearing for when i get hurt...im accident prone and it seems like im at least cursing up a storm once a day

With adults I can half way understand it... but its definitely a pain reliever or controller with kids.. and its totally psychological. Im not going to being up actual instances, but I worked in an ER for a long time and if there is an opportunity for the kids to curse like sailors without the parent getting freaked out.. it helps. I think the psychology comes in with the responding to pain in the most base and taboo way a little kid can think of ....and thats saying the F word repeatedly around an adult without getting their mouth washed out with soap. Im no child psychologist, but it sure seems like this is the case.

I mean come on.. its not like youre going straight to hell for a dirty word in any religion on the planet and its not like heads will explode if someone hears a kid yell the F word. Im one of those crabby protocol and manners people, but when someone is in pain.. all bets are off as far as having any social graces. Drs will get uppity about it, but most nurses are just fine with a potty mouth as long as its not directed at us alone.

Ive never worked in maternity, but Ive heard stories about women transforming into sailors in stirrups... and folks joking about the first word a new born hears being the F word.

We've given a set of words some power.. they must not be spoken/typed here even on ATS. If the words have power in the mind due to them being taboo.. regulated.. whatever, makes sense power words can be used with pain management. The mind is an amazing thing