Yelling a properly timed swear word isn’t only emotionally satisfying—it may have real physical and psychological benefits. In fact, a well-voiced expletive might even help take you to the next level during a particularly strenuous workout.
“In many situations, people hold themselves back—consciously or unconsciously—from using their full strength,” explained Richard Stephens, a psychologist at Keele University in the United Kingdom. “Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, confident and less distracted, and ‘go for it’ a little more.”
Stephens and his fellow researchers frequently examine both the mental and tangible effects of swearing. Their past work has showcased a clear link between “dirty words” and better performance during physical challenges, like keeping a hand submerged in ice water or supporting body weight during chair push-ups.
“That is now a well-replicated, reliable finding,” said Stephens. “But the question is—how is swearing helping us? What’s the psychological mechanism?”
For a follow-up study published today in the journal American Psychologist, the researchers tasked 192 volunteers to voice either swear word of their choice or a neutral word every two seconds while doing chair pushups. Once they completed the exercise, the participants then answered a survey about their mental state, including questions linked to disinhibition, humor, distraction, self-confidence, and emotional positivity. These queries were also structured to measure psychological flow, a term for the feeling someone has while pleasantly focused on an activity.
Similar to their prior study, Stephens noted people who swore during their exercises were able to continue chair pushups for a “significantly longer” amount of time than volunteers who simply said a neutral word. Combined with previous research, the team believes using a socially designated swear word may offer a direct link to participant reports of psychological flow, self-confidence, and focus.
“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.”
With possible consequences across athletics, physical rehabilitation, and even when our everyday interactions require a little extra chutzpah, the study’s authors added that “swearing may represent a low-cost, widely accessible psychological intervention to help individuals ‘not hold back’ when peak performance is needed.”
So the next time you’re faced with an especially strenuous or stressful task—go ahead and let it out. The benefits might outweigh any raised eyebrows.
