Swearing like a sailor is generally frowned upon in polite society. But researchers suggest it could hold the key to unlocking a higher level of physical performance.
A new study published in the journal American Psychologist found that swearing helps people perform better on physical tasks, with participants reporting it made them feel more self-confident and focused.
In other words, next time you’re tempted to drop an f-bomb at the gym, scientists say you should go for it.
“In many situations, people hold themselves back – consciously or unconsciously – from using their full strength,” lead author Richard Stephens, senior lecturer in psychology at Keele University in the United Kingdom, said in a statement.
“Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, confident and less distracted, and ‘go for it’ a little more,” he added.
The study builds upon a large body of research that already establishes a link between swearing and improved physical performance. But for the first time, researchers have aimed to focus on the mechanism behind this relationship.
Stephens and colleagues from Keele University and University of Alabama in Huntsville believe swearing could put people in a disinhibited state of mind, which they define as “temporarily tending towards behaviours that are under-controlled rather than over-controlled”.
“By swearing, we throw off social constraint and allow ourselves to push harder in different situations,” Stephens said.
The study asked 192 participants in two separate experiments to repeat either a swear word of their choosing, or a neutral word, every two seconds while doing a chair pushup.
Researchers then asked participants to answer questions about their mental state during the task – such as how focused or confident they felt, or how funny they found the exercise.
Overall, those who swore were able to hold their body weight up significantly longer than those who repeated a neutral word.
They reported feeling more confident in their abilities and being distracted from thinking about other things. Participants also noted reaching a state of “psychological flow,” or a pleasant state of immersion in the activity at hand.
“These findings help explain why swearing is so commonplace,” Stephens said.
“Swearing is literally a calorie neutral, drug free, low cost, readily available tool at our disposal for when we need a boost in performance.”