17 July,2009 08:18 AM IST | | Ganashree Kedlaya
Bangalore agrees with the research finding that shouting profanities makes you forget pain. What the ''''!
BRING on the 'F' words and shout out the 'Bs', because they relieve you of physical pain, claim researchers.
Reports of the research findings provoked all kinds of reactions in Bangalore, with many confessing how it has always felt good to swear. A sampling:
I think cursing gives you temporary relief. It distracts you and you vent out frustration. But that's about it."
Kunjal Botadra, software engineer:
"I agree. If I injure myself by accident, cuss words fly out of my mouth. That does give me immediate relief."
Dheeraj Kumar, football player:
"I am a sportsperson. During a match, its common for us to get injured. But when the opponent jabs, I do curse. But I don't think it's related to pain as much as it is to anger."
Jack, blogger
"Duh! It sure helps me when I do something that hurts. Everyone I know let one loose when they hurt themselves! It's amazing what people will spend money on research for, but who knows, maybe in the future doctors will prescribe "two cuss words and call me in the morning!"'
Amy, Blogger
"I believe that cursing raises the detection threshold for pain. If we're yelling, cursing, jumping around, etc, then we simply just don't notice the pain so much."
The science of swearing
Psychologists at Britain's Keele Univeristy actually spent taxpayers' money to conduct a study on swearing, and concluded that using expletives actually help alleviate physical pain.
Writing in the journal NeuroReport, they suggest that "spewing foul language triggers our fight-or-flight response", releasing adrenalin and prompting other physiological pain-tolerance changes.
One would have thought the finding's obvious, butu00a0 experts say it contradicts earlier theories which found that swearing made pain worse by enhancing its severity.
