He recruited 64 volunteers to take part and each individual was asked to submerge their hand in a tub of freezing water for as long as possible while repeating a swear word of their choice.
They were then asked to repeat the experiment, this time using a more commonplace word that they would use to describe a table.
Despite their initial expectations, the researchers found that the volunteers were able to keep their hands plunged in the ice water for a longer period of time when repeating the swear word.
On average, the students could tolerate the pain for nearly two minutes when swearing compared with only one minute and 15 seconds when they refrained from using expletives.
However, the study also shows that if you swear frequently, the effect is lessened. So if you drop an f-bomb every other word in everyday speech, you won't get the benefit of the increased tolerance for pain.
Anyway, it's theorized that the way it works is when swearing, agression increases, which sort of downplays the threat, in a way.
So next time you hit yourself in the thumb with a hammer, let loose that R-rated language! You'll honestly be doing yourself a favor.
