New study shows that dropping the f-bomb may ease pain...

[Mike]

By Caroline Wilbert
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

July 13, 2009 -- It has long been a cliche: the woman in childbirth screaming curse words at her husband. Now, there's scientific research that may explain why people in pain often use offensive language.

The cursing may actually lessen the perception of pain.

That is the finding of a new study published in NeuroReport. Researchers at Keele University's School of Psychology recruited more than 60 undergraduates for the study. The students were asked to stick their hands in buckets of icy water twice. The first time, participants repeated a curse word over and over. The next time, they repeated an everyday, neutral word.

When they repeated the curse word, participants were able to withstand the water longer and reported a lesser pain level than when they repeated the neutral word.

"Swearing has been around for centuries and is an almost universal human linguistic phenomenon," Richard Stephens, one of the study's authors, says in a news release. "It taps into emotional brain centers and appears to arise in the right brain, whereas most language production occurs in the left cerebral hemisphere of the brain. Our research shows one potential reason why swearing developed and why it persists."

While the reason for the link between bad words and less pain perception is not known, researchers believe that cursing may fuel a negative emotion such as fear or anger, which prompts a fight or flight response. One of their findings -- that people's heart rates were higher when cursing -- supports this theory.

It's amazing what scientists spend their time on nowadays. 

[Richard]

Indeed, spending the taxpayers cash on this bull.

[Ben]

So that's why I swear all the fucking time..

[Zezima]

LOL. They should better make something usefull for people , rather tryng to explain worthless shit

[[SWK]Nemesis]

LOL. They should better make something usefull for people , rather tryng to explain worthless chick

Thats what you wrote before you edited, and either way, wtf are you saying?

[Shamrock]

Indeed, spending the taxpayers cash on this bull.

This looks like a mere university study. I don't think cash handouts from the government would be given due to the small size of the study. Either way, this study looks like a complete waste of time. More often than not your reaction to something painful would be "Fuck!" anyway, or at least mine would.

[Zezima]

Nemesis link=topic=20351.msg235804#msg235804 date=1247579211]
Thats what you wrote before you edited, and either way, wtf are you saying?

I didin't edit nothing retard 

[8Ball]

I didin't edit nothing retard 

Irony.

[shoru]

Irony?

[Danny]

Define Irony: Bunch of idiots dancing on a plane to a song made famous, by a band who died in a plane crash.

Con Air ftw