Swearing could raise tolerance to pain

• News & Highlights

Study finds people who use four-letter words can stand discomfort for TWICE as long as those who stay polite Never mind popping pills, researchers may have found a far more straight-forward way of relieving pain ... swearing. Yelling rude words can actually raise tolerance to pain, according to a study in which volunteers underwent increasing discomfort. Those who swore were able to stand the pain for almost twice as long as those who remained polite. One theory is that swearing stimulates the fight-or-flight response to threats, causing body changes including increased heart rate and tensed muscles – pain sensations are dulled as part of this response. Another is that swearing increases levels of emotion which, animal studies have suggested, can in turn reduce the sensation of pain.