Hot Damn! New Study Finds That Cursing Can Actually Improve Your Workout

Can swearing help you get through a workout or other challenging physical task?

According to new study published Thursday in American Psychologist, dropping this bomb means more than just expressing your frustration in a physically stressful situation. It can help you focus better, let go of whatever is holding you back, and help you complete a task.

The research suggests that “swearing, a simple and commonly used linguistic tool, may function as an effective intervention that counteracts inhibition tendencies and improves performance,” says Richard Stevens from the School of Psychology at Keele University.

The study was carried out by four researchers from two institutions: Richard Stevens, Harry Dauber and Christopher Richardson from the School of Psychology at Keele University in England; and Nicholas B. Washmuth of the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The team conducted two experiments to determine whether swearing can improve physical performance and whether this action promotes a state in which people are less likely to inhibit their behavior.

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In both experiments, the researchers asked participants to lift and support their body weight using only their hands on the seat of a chair for as long as possible.

Participants selected a swear word and a neutral word and were asked to repeat the two selected words every two seconds. The results showed that using a swear word significantly increased the time participants were able to support their body weight compared to using a neutral word.

The second experiment doubled the size of the first, recruiting 94 new participants, but introduced observer apathy, which is associated with disinhibition. The idea was that people doing strenuous exercise at the gym may worry about how others view them, only to realize that these people are too passionate about their workouts to care what others think. Acknowledging others' apathy can boost your own efforts and improve your productivity, according to research.

Ultimately, the experiments supported the idea that swearing allowed participants to maintain longer retention times. Using a swear word allowed them to overcome previously held limitations and achieve their goal, thereby increasing self-confidence and promoting a state of positive psychological flow.

So bet it can improve your next workout.