Curse Words Help Numb Pain

Cursing, as everyone knows, is awesome. But it's more than that! It's also, according to a new study, a painkiller.

Scientists at Keele University had test subjects dunk their hands in a bucket of ice water—once while swearing and once while "repeating a harmless phrase." Since the subjects were able to keep their hands in the bucket for longer while swearing, the researchers say, there seems to be "a link between swearing and an increase in pain tolerance."

One possible explanation is that swearing "triggers the 'fight or flight' response," raising the heart rate and numbing pain. Interestingly, people who don't normally use bad language (the scientific term for these people is "prudes and nerds") felt the painkilling effect of curse words at a higher rate than people who curse regularly.

So! Next time you are in pain, try out a swear or two, like "the s-word" or "the f-word." And if that doesn't work, just meditate.