Its official - swearing is good for you! Repeating expletives not only makes us happier and more positive, but also boosts our strength, researchers discover
If you find yourself futilely attempting to twist a tight lid off a jam jar, scientists may have discovered a satisfying way to help – try swearing as you do it.
If you find yourself futilely attempting to twist a tight lid off a jam jar, scientists may have discovered a satisfying way to help – try swearing as you do it.
Researchers found that not only did repeating expletives make us happier and more positive, it also makes us stronger.
People had greater handgrip strength after repeatedly swearing, compared with those who repeated non-swear words, according to the study.
One theory is that using bad language makes people less inhibited and more likely to show risky behaviour, triggering ‘state disinhibition’, where there is a reduction in self-control and inhibitions.
Alcohol has a similar effect.
The study was carried out by the universities of Keele and Amsterdam.
A spokesman said: ‘We have shown that repeating a swear word leads to increased performance on a grip-strength task, while confirming the effects of swearing on positive emotion.’
The research, reported in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, involved 52 men and women, who repeated either a swear or neutral word aloud before carrying out various tests, a grip-strength task and completing several questionnaires.
Researchers found that not only did repeating expletives make us happier and more positive, it also makes us stronger (file image)
If you find yourself futilely attempting to twist a tight lid off a jam jar, scientists may have discovered a satisfying way to help – try swearing as you do it (file image)
The participants were asked to repeat a word out loud for ten seconds.
They chose the words themselves and the most common swear words were s*** and f***. The two most common neutral words were flat and wooden.
Electrodes were used to measure electrical activity in their brains.
Results show that in the handgrip strength test, those who had sworn were stronger by 1.4kg than those who had spoken the neutral words, as well as being happier and more positive.