Sometimes, to gather your strength, a swear word is all it takes. British psychologists at Keele University found that using profanity during physical exercise really does help.
In the experiment, 192 volunteers performed exercises while repeating either a neutral word or something unfit for broadcast. Those who did not hold back in their language worked longer, felt more confident and were in a better emotional state. They also entered what is known as a psychological flow state: when you are fully focused on the task and even enjoy it.
The point is not that swearing is funny or distracting. In effect, it lowers internal inhibitions and activates hidden reserves of the body. In other words, when your body hears a four-letter word, it thinks: “Time to pull yourself together!” And this does not work only in the gym: it may also come in handy in the office, in a traffic jam, in a queue or during an especially dramatic attempt to assemble IKEA furniture.
In the future, this technique may be officially included in stress-management, rehabilitation and sports-psychology programmes. “Swear and get it together” sounds almost like a how-to guide. So next time things feel especially hard, do not blame yourself for a couple of strong words. Just say you are following a science-backed strategy for boosting endurance.
