A new study published in the Journal of American Psychologist links swearing to “disinhibition,” a psychological state in which you are less likely to hold back.
SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Scientists have found that saying swear words can relieve pain and make you a little stronger. A study published last week in the journal American Psychologist links stronger muscles to disinhibition, a psychological state in which you are less likely to hold back. Nicholas Washmut co-authored the study. He is a Ph.D. student at the University of Alabama. He joins us now. Thank you very much for being with us.
NICHOLAS WASHMOUTH: Absolutely.
SIMON: Tell me about your research. Did you just tell a few people, start arguing, and try to pick up that chair?
WASHMOUTH: No. In the latest study, we asked 300 participants to perform a chair push-up task. Essentially, we asked these participants to sit in a chair using only their arms and hands only to lift their buttocks off the chair for as long as possible. They did this by swearing and at the same time repeating a neutral word. And when they fought, they could hold that position longer. The reason you can hold this position longer is because you are in a more disinhibited state. After scolding, you are more willing to commit physically and mentally to the task.
SIMON: Do some curse words work better than others?
WASHMOUTH: The prompt we used was to share the swear word you would say if you hit your head or stubbed your toe. And they also chose their neutral word using the prompt: “Share the word you would use to describe this table.” So when you ask a participant to choose a swear word that they will use, it is a word that is likely to be strong for them or will be used in certain situations where they need that support. The most common words chosen were the F word and the S word.
SIMON: OK now. My late Aunt Izetta didn’t swear in front of us, but when something happened, she said sugar – I’m thinking of replacing the word with the letter “S”. Would it have had the same effect?
WASHMOUTH: Evidence suggests that made-up swear words or euphemisms for swear words don't have the same impact. So you can't say sugar or fudge or even say the F-word. There is a line that must be crossed to enter the realm of taboo. We don't yet know exactly where this line is. But right now, there's reason to believe that you actually need to say the word to get that performance boost.
SIMON: So what do we do with this information?
WASHMOUTH: That's a great question. We hope that people will participate in this line of research and, if it's something that interests them, play around with the tool themselves in a safe and comfortable place where they don't intend to offend anyone. But our research is increasingly moving toward a broader idea: If swearing helps you take action or not hold back, could swearing be used as a tool in other situations where success depends on overcoming indecisiveness? People tend to doubt themselves during public speaking and when approaching a potential romantic partner. So is it okay to swear in private just before a public speech, or in private before asking someone out on a date? Could this be a tool you can use to help you be more successful in those situations where we tend to hold ourselves back?
SIMON: Nicholas Washmuth, co-author of the study “Don't Hold Back: Swearing Increases Power through Disinhibition.” You know, it gives me extra power just to say that BJ Leiderman sings our theme song. Thank you very much for being with us.
WASHMOUTH: Thank you for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “PASION FRUIT”)
GERMANITOS: (speaking non-English).
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