Why Swearing Sparingly Can Help Kill Pain

Letting loose with a satisfying string of expletives can significantly reduce physical pain, research has shown. But according to a new study, it doesn't work as well if you make a habit of cursing frequently.

In a previous study, psychologist Richard Stephens at Keele University in the U.K. and colleagues found that people who were asked to dunk their hand in ice-cold water were better able to tolerate the pain — and they left their hands in the buckets for a full 40 seconds longer — if they were allowed to swear, compared with people who were asked to utter a non-curse word.

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