Have You Sworn Off Swearing? According To This New Study, The Habit May Actually Benefit Your Psyche
Curse, swear, cuss. No matter what you call it, it is likely that you have let one of these words loose from time to time.
Even Miranda Cosgrove, the child star most known for Nickolodeon show iCarly, has recently gone viral for defending her use of curse words.
In the meme-able soundbite– which has since been used nearly four hundred thousand times on TikTok– Cosgrove disclosed that she “actually does cuss a little.”
And although some may think that swearing is in bad taste, a new study published by Keele University in the UK has found that the habit benefits your health.
The research team, led by Dr. Richard Stephens, sought to understand how swearing can have a psychological effect on your day-to-day behavior through the analysis of primarily undergraduate students.
The team found that swearing increased the students’ self-confidence and physical strength.
For example, one activity tested during the study was the students’ ability to perform chair push-ups. After saying a swear word, the participants were able to hold themselves above the chair for longer.
Additionally, swearing also increased the likelihood of risky behavior. The students participated in an online activity where they had to pump a balloon full of air without bursting it.
The risky behavior of overconfidently filling the balloon increased by eight percent after the students spoke a swear word aloud.
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Through these findings, the researchers hope that more people will use the psychological benefits of swearing to improve self-confidence and personal performance.
Dr. Stephens also discussed how the pure societal humor behind swearing mirrors life and can help take the edge off stressful situations.
“Swearing appears to produce a state of ‘hot cognitions,’ helping us downplay everyday fears and concerns. We provided evidence of several possible psychological routes by which this may come about. But, humor– the funny side of swearing– turned out to be the most important of the factors we assessed,” Dr. Stephens said.
“Comedians have long known the link between laughter and a well-placed swear word. Our study suggests that generating humor may be one element by which swearing can help people in everyday situations by ‘just going for it more,'” Dr. Stephens continued.
So, before an anxiety-inducing oral presentation or a high-pressure board meeting, blowing off some steam with a few swear words may be the key to a calmer mind.
Is swearing already a part of your daily habits? Would you try using this psychological mechanism in stressful situations?
To read the complete scientific findings, visit the link here.
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