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from the firetruck?-feedback?-flick?-fiddleneck?-feedback?-flock? dept.
The F-word's hidden superpower: repeating it can increase your pain threshold:
There have been a surprising number of studies in recent years examining the effects of swearing, specifically whether it can help relieve pain—either physical or psychological (as in the case of traumatic memories or events). According to the latest such study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, constantly repeating the F-word—as one might do if one hit one's thumb with a hammer—can increase one's pain threshold.
The technical term is the "hypoalgesic effect of swearing," best illustrated by a 2009 study in NeuroReport by researchers at Keele University in the UK. The work was awarded the 2010 Ig Nobel Peace Prize, "for confirming the widely held belief that swearing relieves pain." Co-author Richard Stephens, a psychologist at Keele, became interested in studying the topic after noting his wife's "unsavory language" while giving birth, and wondered if profanity really could help alleviate pain. "Swearing is such a common response to pain. There has to be an underlying reason why we do it," Stephens told Scientific American at the time.
[...] The result: "Only the traditional swear word (the F-word) had any effect on pain outcomes," said Stephens. They also measured the subjects' pain threshold, asking them to indicate when the ice water began to feel painful. Those who chanted the F-word waited longer before indicating they felt pain—in other words, the swearing increased their threshold for pain.
Journal Reference
Stephens, Richard, Robertson, Olly. Swearing as a Response to Pain: Assessing Hypoalgesic Effects of Novel "Swear" Words, Frontiers in Psychology (DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00723)
Does it work as well in other languages? What about [non]-English-speaking people?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:13AM (2 children)
People who said nothing, or people who said neutral words?
It could easily be that focusing on a task is what increases the threshold of pain.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:38AM
This isn't the first time I've heard the theory, my guess is that proper swearing allows the brain to transfer some of the physical pain sensations into emotional processing.
(Score: 2) by dry on Wednesday June 10 2020, @12:27AM
Well I actually read the summary and saw this,
Which seems to imply they tried other words, perhaps other swear words. As the summary ends with, be interesting testing different cultures. The Quebecois use religious words to swear rather then sexual words, tabernacle is a favorite.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:40AM
Stay the fuck home, cocksucker!
Fucking vadachod.
(Score: 5, Touché) by canopic jug on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:48AM (1 child)
The summary does not say, but which f-word specifically? Only one of them will get you banned from many forums for writing it repeatedly and that f-word is "Freedom", as in Software Freedom specifically. Some groups, with lots of influence, are really burned up by the idea of general purpose computing, especially in a context where people decide for themselves what and how the computer should operate. The other f-words don't seem to matter much to many forums, but they'll object to anything about freedom in nearly any context especally computing.
The article mentions that one of the possible explanations for hypoalgesic effect of swearing [nih.gov] is that it is distracting from the pain. Distractions are logical fallacies [libretexts.org], but work well on the population which is why they are so pervasively abused to great detriment of society.
Come to think of it, freedom in any context is rather related to what the police are rioting [salon.com] about in the US. Their riots appear to be a reaction to protest for freedom and to form a distraction from it.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @12:25PM
It's a good word, made Richie Havens famous --
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf1B9ktRCkg [youtube.com]
Thanks for the inspiring post!
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @06:35AM (7 children)
I believe the word TFA is referring to is "fuck".
(Score: 5, Touché) by claywar on Tuesday June 09 2020, @11:16AM (4 children)
Sorry, but I believe you misspelled 'systemd.' That really gets my emotional processing going.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday June 09 2020, @12:15PM (3 children)
So, the very definition of politically incorrect, could be used to test alternate words. Whatever words are most upsetting or emotionally charged for the individual could be tested as well. Simply running down the Carlin list [youtube.com] isn't a high level emotional hit for everybody.
We had an elderly neighbor who "went Tourettes" one day, not sure if it was intentional or not, but 25% of her repeated phrases were "Pussy Galore," apparently it did something for her.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Touché) by looorg on Tuesday June 09 2020, @12:21PM (2 children)
Perhaps she just watched Goldfinger and had sweet thoughts about Sean Connery?
(Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Tuesday June 09 2020, @04:54PM (1 child)
When I watch Goldfinger I have sweet thoughts about Honor Blackman.
The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:54PM
I don't judge, she could have leaned that way to. It's just a bit weird now that she is dead and all. But I don't judge ...
(Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday June 09 2020, @03:34PM (1 child)
Yea I dunno why they censored it off The Friggin Article.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @04:44PM
Because if it makes you feel good it must be bad.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @07:41AM (1 child)
Can you see me now?
(Score: 2) by looorg on Tuesday June 09 2020, @12:12PM
There should be one giant focus hole ... point ... in the middle of the chart tho so it could work.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @09:23AM
We fucking know what happened next...
(Score: 3, Interesting) by looorg on Tuesday June 09 2020, @12:43PM (2 children)
I seriously doubt it's the actual word that matters. If anything it's probably conditioning to swearing and not the actual word. After all they got to pick a word from a list to say -- fuck, fouch (sounds a bit like fuck, but not quite), twizpipe (what the actual fuck is that?) and a neutral word describing a table (?). Out of those options I would think that FUCK! would have the most effect to, it's probably the only one that triggers some underlying aggression conditioning or response.
Overall tho they seem to put a lot of emphasis on the power of words. I would think the adrenalin-surge happens faster then your eventual fuck-fuck-fuck-chanting even begins. If anything it is probably more of a mind-over-matter issue where you have conditioned yourself to act this way by trigger-words. You psych yourself up/out or whatnot trying to pump up and push away the pain. Faking yourself out to push the body into getting ready for a fight -- vs the dreaded ice-bucket. They might get similar responses by just having a research assistant bitchslap them repeatedly as they have their hand in ice-cold water. There should be enough of a pain-distraction there to. Eventually they will pull out their hand and choke the assistant to death or something ...
It should. I'm fairly sure it's not the actual FUCK!-word that does the pain alleviation but other processes. So you could probably just train yourself to say anything else really. That FUCK! works is probably more about that there was english (american) speaking college students being the testsubjects. People in other countries, and or cultures, could probably gain similar effects by other words and expressions more common there. That said considering how common FUCK! has become it's probably a viable word in most of the world tho -- thanks to Hollywood, TV and anglocentric culture spreading across the world.
Swearing does say something about cultures, are you a curse-culture where swearing is more religious in nature or is it more profane and sexual in nature -- american/english seem to focus heavily on the sexual part -- fuck, motherfucker, cocksucker while other cultures seem to be more about invoking God, the Devil, Satan, hell and various other religious objects and such. I would assume they would get similar effects by other words.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20150306-how-to-swear-around-the-world [bbc.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:48PM
Sounds like they just chose the most common serious swear word, and yes for English though due to Hollywood that probably extends to other countries. They do mention that swearing is what does the trick, not JUST "fuck" so take it down a notch sasquatch!
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Tuesday June 09 2020, @07:40PM
The Dutch use diseases, and god damn. But they aspirate the consonants in swear words, even though the rest of the whole language is unaspirated.
I once had a Dutch girl complain to me that it was so tiring learning English because of all the aspirated consonants.
(Score: 4, Funny) by Phoenix666 on Tuesday June 09 2020, @02:57PM
I have such a high pain threshhold.
Washington DC delenda est.
(Score: 2) by Bot on Tuesday June 09 2020, @03:25PM (2 children)
I'd rather use the more refined Puttana Eva, which is biblical, sexist, racist, bigot, evocative and justified, all at the same time.
Account abandoned.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday June 09 2020, @05:52PM
Calling the Bibical mythological mother of mankind a whore is racist, bigoted, and justified?
No wonder you've got problems, one of the rare occasions where Freud could really shine!
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Tuesday June 09 2020, @07:05PM
But is it left justified or right justified?
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.