Reasons To Start Cursing (During Your Workout)
As a child, your mother probably told you not to swear.
Being the obedient child you were, you listened to her, which is why your vocabulary is limited, as research has found that people with foul mouths have more extensive vocabularies.1A large vocabulary is a common marker of intelligence, so you fill in the blanks on what I’m getting at here!
Oh, and you listening to your parents is also why you have a low pain tolerance, as researchers have found that people who swear while holding their hands in ice water can last for double the time they can when asked to say neutral, or non-offensive, words.
Oh, and listening to your parents is also why you’re as weak as you embarrassingly are, as researchers have found that swearing while working out increases power and strength, none of which you have.2In two experiments, one group of participants were asked to pedal a stationary bike and another group to complete an isometric hand-grip test. Those who swore increased peak power by 24 watts on the ergometer and grip strength by 2.4 kg compared to the Catholic nuns who did the same activities without swearing.
Why does swearing have such a profound effect on pain, power, and strength?
Good question!
Swearing increases the ability to perform and withstand discomfort, but why?
Well, scientists will be damned if they know the answer to that! They guess that swearing triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response, resulting in the release of adrenaline, a hormone that helps us respond to possible stress or danger and is often billed as the body’s natural superpower.
Activation of fight-or-flight mode is just a guess though and more studies have to be done to find the definitive answer, but what we do know about cursing is that it’s another in a long line of reasons why you shouldn’t listen to your parents!3NOTE: Further studies show that swearing might not have that much of an effect if you already curse up a storm, so cursing during your workout is only for those who swear infrequently, if ever at all!!!
Muttering obscenities as you lift won’t turn you into a contender for the world’s strongest man or woman, but it’ll help you grind out an extra rep or two.
When doing so, just be mindful of your environment. For instance, if you work out at your church’s fitness facility, swearing might be something that’s frowned upon by other church members, though they themselves engage in far worse things that are in direct violation of their faith, such as the adulterous relationship they’re in with someone else in the church. But heaven forbid you curse!
If you work out at home, that’s a different story. In the confines of your own home, you’re free to do whatever you want. So work out naked! Grunt and moan as loud and as sexually provocative as you want!! Let the curse words fly!!!
Oh, but what if you have kids around?
To that I say what better time to traumatize them and give them indelible memories?!
…after all, isn’t that sort of your job as a parent?!?!
SOURCES:
Jay K, Jay T. Taboo Word Fluency and Knowledge of Slurs and General Pejoratives: Deconstructing the Poverty-of-Vocabulary Myth. Language Sciences, Volume 52, November 2015, pages 251-259.
Stephens R, Atkins J, Kingston A. Swearing as a Response to Pain. Neuroreport. 2009 August 5;20(12):1056-60.
Stephens R, Spierer D, Katehis E. Effect of Swearing on Strength and Power Performance. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Volume 35, March 2018, pages 111-117.
Stephens R, Umland C. Swearing as a Response to Pain—Effect of Daily Swearing Frequency. J Pain. 2011 December;12(12):1274-81.
Glossary: hormones, work out, workout
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