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One experiment compared performance in a demanding exercise between a group that chose to say a swear word and another that said a neutral word. The results associate swearing with better results.
Swearing at the right moment in the gym can really help improve physical performance. A new published in the journal American Psychologist suggests that swearing can increase strength and endurancehelping people overcome psychological barriers that limit effort.
The research, led by psychologist Richard Stephens of Keele University in the UK, builds on previous findings that linked swearing to short-term performance gains.
This time, the team sought to understand why swear words can help, examining whether they alter a person’s psychological state in ways that encourage greater effort.
“In many situations, people repress themselvesconsciously or unconsciously, and stop using their full strength,” said Stephens. “Swearing is an easy way to feel more focused, confident and less distracted, and ‘give it your all’ a little more.”
The study involved two experiments carried out with volunteers recruited on a university campus. In the first, 88 participants aged between 18 and 65 were asked to perform a physically demanding arm flexion exercise in a chair.
The task consisted of lift the body from a chair using only your arms and maintaining the position for as long as possible, up to 60 seconds.
Before starting, participants chose two words: a swear word they could use after hitting their heads and a neutral word.
During the exercise, they were randomly assigned to repeat the swear word or neutral word out loudmaintaining eye contact with the researcher through Microsoft Teams, explains .
After the task, participants completed questionnaires measuring psychological states such as confidence, mood, distraction and feelings of inhibition.
A second experiment with 94 new participants followed the same procedure, adding measures related to anxiety, behavioral inhibition and negative emotions.
In both experiments, the results were consistent. Participants who repeated swear words maintained the arm flexion position in the chair for longer than those who used neutral language.
They also reported higher levels of positive emotions, humor, novelty and distraction. Researchers believe these factors can help shift people toward a more action-oriented mindset.
“These findings suggest that swearing promotes psychological states conducive to effort maximization and overcoming internal limitations”, concluded the authors.
However, the evidence was less clear on whether swearing directly reduces inhibitions, one of the team’s original hypotheses. Stephens acknowledged that more research is needed to clarify the underlying mechanisms.
