Unleashing a string of expletives might be the secret to hitting a personal best at the gym, according to new research, which suggests swearing boosts physical strength by helping people remove their mental “brakes”.
A study published by the American Psychological Association found that cursing allows people to overcome their inhibitions, helping them push harder during tests of physical endurance.
“In many situations, people hold themselves back – consciously or unconsciously – from using their full strength,” said lead author Dr Richard Stephens of Keele University. “Swearing is an easily available way to help yourself feel focused, confident and less distracted, and ‘go for it’ a little more.”
The science of the F-bomb
The research, published in the journal American Psychologist, builds on previous work by Stephens, which established that swearing increases tolerance to pain, specifically, how long participants can keep their hands submerged in ice water.
To understand the psychological mechanism behind this “Popeye effect”, the researchers conducted experiments with 192 participants. Each participant was asked to perform a chair push-up — supporting their body weight on their arms — for as long as possible.
While holding the pose, they were asked to repeat either a swear word of their choice or a neutral word every two seconds.
The results were consistent: those who swore were able to support their weight significantly longer than those who remained polite.
Profanity creates confidence
Upon analysing the participants’ mental states, the researchers found that profanity induced a state of “disinhibition”. By throwing off social constraints, the swearers reported higher levels of self-confidence and “flow”, a psychological state where a person becomes fully immersed in an activity.
“By swearing, we throw off social constraint and allow ourselves to push harder in different situations,” Stephens explained.
He described profanity as a “calorie-neutral, drug-free, low-cost, readily available tool” for performance enhancement.
The team is now investigating whether this “foul-mouthed advantage” extends beyond physical strength to other nerve-wracking situations.
“Our labs are now studying how swearing influences public speaking and romantic approach behaviours, two situations where people tend to hesitate or second-guess themselves,” said co-author Dr Nicholas Washmuth of the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
