Clearpost.online It's your post, so post it!

We know it’s uncivilized, but many of us turn to vile verbiage when we find ourselves stressed out or in pain. From epic events like childbirth, through to co*peting in elite sports, the fear of failure during physical challenges can often result in the wrong language. Thankfully, there may be an evolutionary reason that swearing helps us when getting our sweat on, but make sure to consider your fellow humans in the process.

While we often think of cursing as a negative behavior, studies have actually shown that swearing can lead to increased pain tolerance. In the last few years, researchers have ramped up their efforts to determine if, and how, swearing might have performance enhancing effects. One of the very first investigations of its kind occurred in 2018 and demonstrated that repeating a swear word had positive effects on anerobic power tests like cycling sprints, and even grip strength.

Okay, so what counts as a swear word? Experiments have frequently required participants to imagine the first curse word that co*es to mind when we feel immense pain, like if we bang our head against a wall. For the majority, the reflex verbiage is to say “F*ck” or “Sh*t,” but you probably guess that, right?

Benefits of Swearing on Physical Performance

The latest report on this subject was a review published in November, 2024 and it bolstered the notion that swearing has significant effects on performance. Here are the numbers that they were able to crunch:

• Cycling sprint power increased by 4.5%


• Grip strength increased by 9%


• Plank duration increased by 12%


• Push-up endurance increased by 15%


• Wall sit duration increased by 22%

“Swearing has been shown to improve physical performance in tasks that are relatively short and intense, and this effect has been repeated across experiments, suggesting that it may be a reliable effect,” concluded the review, published in Frontiers.org.

The experts point out these tests were carried out in a laboratory setting, so more work would need to be done to see how the data stacks up in a real-world setting. But given the theories arounds why cursing helps us to crush short workouts, there’s no reason to think it wouldn’t work for everyone, but perhaps it’s not so much the swearing as the mechanisms behind it that are providing the real boost. When we swear, and especially when we repeat a swear word 3 to 10 times as done in the majority of these experiments, we are effectively controlling our breathing while also distracting ourselves from our limitations, such as pain.

Studies have shown that more positive chants or meditational mantras may have the same effect as swearing, reducing our anxiety and potentially helping with our physical performance. That said, cursing may still have an extra edge because it is thought to trigger our “fight or flight” response.

The take home message? Swearing continues to demonstrate the capability to increase our pain tolerance and is especially useful during short, high-intensity exercises. “While the mechanisms for physical performance improvements from swearing are not fully understood, it appears to be a co*bination of sympathetic activation, hypoalgesia, and increased state disinhibition,” said the latest review. “Further research is essential for advancing our understanding of when, how, and if swearing can be strategically employed to enhance physical performance.” Until then, remember that many people find swearing offensive, so don’t risk your gym membership and be sure you only swear in isolation!