The tropes about profanity are as old as swearing itself.
“It reveals a lack of class.”
“It shows low intelligence.”
“It exposes a lack of imagination.”
Society’s conditioned us to regulate our language so much that lawmakers and regulators have mandated warnings on movies and music that include it.
But an interesting new study out of England’s Keele University offers up a new take, hinting that swearing at just the right moment might help us perform better physically.
“This new research shows how swearing gives us a boost by putting us in a more disinhibited state that helps individuals feel more focused, confident, and overcome internal constraints. It verifies our theory that swearing can act as a simple, low-cost psychological tool that helps people not hold back and go for it a little more,” Keele’s Richard Stephens, BSc, explained. “In short, swearing helps us to stop overthinking and start doing.”
Methodology
In a paper published in American Psychologist, the authors report that repeating a self-selected swear word during a short, intense strength task consistently boosted performance. The result, they argue, appears to work not by revving up the body’s physiology, but by relaxing the psychological restraints that normally hold us back.
Stephens and his research team conducted two preregistered experiments involving nearly 200 participants. They then merged those results with data from a previous study, bringing the total sample to 300 adults.
Across all three studies, participants completed a “chair push-up” task while repeatedly saying either a swear word of their choosing or a neutral word.
The results displayed striking consistency. On average, participants held the position longer when swearing than when using a random, neutral word. The performance boost remained modest – but reliable – adding up to a 10% bump in endurance in some trials.
Exploring Explanations
Earlier studies had hinted that swearing might enhance strength by boosting one’s heart rate or triggering stress-related physiological arousal. But this new study threatens to upend those assumptions.
The authors instead point to a psychological mechanism they call “state disinhibition.” It appears to represent a temporary shift away from self-restraint and toward more uninhibited (and action-oriented) behavior.
To test that theory, the researchers looked at a range of psychological factors historically tied to disinhibition, including flow (the feeling of being fully absorbed in an activity), distraction from self-doubt, and self-confidence. And while each individual experiment produced mixed results, the overall analysis told a simple story.
When researchers combined the data from all three studies, they noticed increases in flow, lower cognitive distraction, and higher self-confidence. Simply put, swearing didn’t help because it was funny. It helped, they insist, because it seemed to quiet internal brakes.
Implications
The findings align with previous research that revealed that vocal expressions, from grunts to shouts, can boost one’s physical strength. But the authors add that swearing might be uniquely effective because it carries emotional and social weight. Using taboo language briefly disrupts the norms we live with every day, which could make us less self-conscious and more willing to push ourselves.
But the researchers warn against reading too much into what they found. They focused on short, intense tasks. And they didn’t look at long-term training outcomes or complex athletic performance.
Even so, the authors argue that the practical implications are worth considering. Swearing is free, widely accessible, and requires no special equipment or training. Whether its sports and rehabilitation to situations that demand assertiveness or courage, a well-timed expletive could provide a small (yet meaningful) psychological edge.
“These effects could have valuable applications in sport, rehabilitation, and any situation that calls for courage or assertiveness,” Stephens added. “In this way, swearing could serve as an accessible way to unlock our full potential when peak performance is needed.”
Obviously, that doesn’t mean clinics or gyms should start encouraging profanity as official policy. Social norms remain relevant. And swearing can be inappropriate or harmful in the wrong setting. But the research suggests that, in private or controlled situations, breaking linguistic rules might help people break through mental barriers.
Sometimes, the data suggest, strength isn’t about more than raw muscle. It’s about permission. Permission to not hold back.
Further Reading
Profanity Can Sometimes Be the Best Medicine
